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Hospice
offers palliative care rather than curative treatment. Our goal is to provide
pain and symptom control and comfort measures, while emphasizing quality of
life. Death is regarded as a natural process, and is neither hastened nor
prolonged.
Our Hospice Team
includes the patient’s personal physician, as well as nurse, home health aide,
social worker, hospice chaplain and volunteer.
Hospice Care Includes:
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Skilled assessment of
patient's condition.
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Arrangement of medical
equipment and supplies relating to the hospice diagnosis.
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Regularly scheduled
nursing visits.
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24 hour on-call
availability of licensed nurses.
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Emotional support and
counseling, companionship, and spiritual counseling, as desired.
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Home Health Aides to
assist with personal care.
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Respite care—relief for
the caregiver if they become exhausted or just need a break.
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Caring support and
preparation for death.
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Volunteers specializing
in hospice care.
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Bereavement support and
follow up for the family and friends who mourn.
When
is Hospice appropriate?
It has been said that
there is a moment in a terminal illness when continuing treatment is no longer a
matter of extending life, but is a matter of prolonging pain. It is in this
moment of truth that both patient and family realize it is appropriate and it is
time to no longer ask a very weary body to endure more trauma, continued and
escalating pain and the increasing indignity of a greatly reduced quality of
life.
At this time the caring and supportive staff of Hospice, with their many
resources, may be invited to walk the final steps of the journey with the
patient and the family.
It is the role of Hospice to maintain the patient's dignity, serve his or her
needs emotionally and physically to the highest degree possible and feasible,
and to lend both moral and physical support to the family. To include Hospice in
the dying process is to be assured of strong and caring support.
What is
Hospice?
Hospice is rooted in the centuries-old idea of offering hospitality to those on
a long journey. Today the hospice movement continues to represent a supportive
philosophy and concept of care available to those whose life expectancy is
measured in weeks or months. Hospice recognizes death as the final stage of
life and serves to enable hospice patients and families to live their final days
to the fullest in the comfort of home, surrounded by their loved ones.
Hospice is a special way of caring for people with terminal illnesses and for
their families. Hospice addresses physical needs (pain and symptom control),
social and emotional needs, spiritual needs, and bereavement counseling.
When curative measures are no longer an option, consider hospice care to provide
your loved one with the best possible care at home.
Who
Provides Hospice Care?
We have a highly qualified and experienced staff available to your and your
family to assist in providing the best care possible at home. The plan for care
is developed by the interdisciplinary team members with the patient and family.
Most care is provided in the patient’s or family member’s home by a primary
caregiver. A Hospice RN is available on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week
to respond to your needs. A Registered Nurse will visit on a regular basis
(determined by your needs), as well as the availability of the entire
interdisciplinary team members. A Home Health Aide can be scheduled to provide
personal care (bathing, shaving, etc.). Volunteers can assist by providing the
primary caregiver with time out of the home to attend to personal needs. The
Medical Social Worker can assist with connecting the family to needed resources
for decision making regarding financial issues, funeral planning, or completion
of Advance Directives.
Clergy and other counselors are available to visit and provide spiritual support
to the terminally ill at home. We also involve churches and congregations to
aid the patient and family as requested. Our bereavement program provides
support for the family and caregivers for at least one year.
Hospice
Medicare Benefit
Under the Hospice Medicare benefit, hospice provides all diagnosis-related
medications, medical supplies and equipment necessary to provide this care with
no additional cost to the patient or family.
The Hospice Medicare Benefit also includes up to 5 days respite care per month
for the caregiver, up to 3 days of hospital in-patient care for management of
acute symptoms and/or continuous home care for brief periods of time when
indicated. Hospice can arrange for this care and will stay involved in the
patient’s treatment and with the family, resuming in-home care when appropriate.
For more information
regarding hospice benefits, or for a free in-home evaluation, please contact us.
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