Hospice services

Hospice is a special way of caring for people with a terminal illness, their families and their caregivers. Hospice treats the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the person, and focuses on comfort and having the highest quality of life possible. Hospice care is provided in the patient's home, whether his or her home is a house, apartment, nursing home or assisted living setting.

Hospice provides the support, education, and expertise that can enable family and friends to provide needed care. Possible services available to support a person's needs include:

occasional visits by nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers
a nurse available 24 hours a day to answer questions on the phone
help with necessary medical equipment in the home, such as oxygen, a wheelchair, or a hospital bed
help with medicines
therapies to relieve pain and other physical symptoms
crisis management
coordination of community resources
respite care for the family
grief support services

Hospice is often misunderstood to be a service available only to patients who have cancer. Hospice care is available to people with any life-limiting illness, including advanced heart disease, when the doctor believes the patient has six months or fewer to live.

Patients and families who participate in hospice programs report feeling very supported during a very stressful and trying time, and find the services to be of most benefit if brought in at the earliest possible time.