Hospice Care

Our interdisciplinary hospice team:

• Manages the patient's pain and symptoms
• Assists the patient with the emotional, physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of dying
• Provides needed drugs, medical supplies and equipment
• Coaches the family on how to care for the patient
• Delivers special services like speech and physical therapy when needed
• Makes short-term inpatient care available when pain or symptoms become too difficult to manage at home, or the caregiver needs respite time
• Provides bereavement care and counseling to surviving family and friends

Patients of any age who have an end-stage disease process, generally with a life expectancy of six months or less, are eligible for hospice care. Medicare, Medicaid, most HMO's and private insurance generally cover all hospice expenses. No patient will ever be denied hospice care because of an inability to pay. Patients and their families have the option of canceling hospice care at any time if a condition improves, or if other choices are desired.

Hospice patients receive the best possible care by a multidisciplinary team of skilled, compassionate professionals:

• The patient's primary care physician
• Hospice physician or medical director
• Registered nurses
• Hospice aides
• Physical, occupational and speech therapists
• Music therapist
• Social Worker
• Spiritual counselors
• Volunteers
• Inpatient Hospice option

For patients unable to be cared for at home, our inpatient hospice unit delivers compassionate care in comfortable, home-like surroundings for both patient and family including amenities such as unrestricted visiting hours, sleeping and lounge areas, visitation by a family pet and more.

Bereavement support is offered to family and friends for up to 13 months after the end of hospice care. Bereavement support groups are also open to anyone in the community who has suffered a loss.