Your Home Hospice team of professionals and volunteers work for you. Not only will you receive the finest medical care under our medical director and nurses who work closely with your own doctor, but you and your family may benefit from social workers, a chaplain, a bereavement coordinator, aides, and a host of volunteers. The benefits, our patients tell us, are considerable.
An important thing to remember is that you and your family make determinations about your needs and your care. You have choices and everyone at Home Hospice is committed to carrying out your wishes (and helping you meet your goals) as best we can.
Your physician will direct your care while consulting with our interdisciplinary team, including a palliative care certified medical director. Our focus is effective palliative care, including pain and symptom management, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
All of our nurses live in our service area, including the registered nurses who provide care on nights, weekends and holidays. Under the direction of highly skilled hospice RNs, the nursing staff provide physical assessments, physician liaison services, medication management, direct nursing care, and patient/caregiver instruction.
Our credentialed social workers provide guidance related to community resources and services that may help patients and families. Our social worker visits with you to assess, evaluate, and provide helpful counseling sessions as needed.
With amazing efficiency, our hospice aides provide a positive presence for patients and families, assisting with daily living tasks such as hygiene and light housekeeping.
Physical, occupational, or speech therapies, or nutritional services professionals assist patients as needed.
Chaplains complement, but do not, of course, usurp the role of the family’s clergy. Our chaplains offer counseling and support, so necessary to peace of mind. Dr. Ronald Van Buskirk, Wilson N. Jones Medical Center hospitalist and one of Home Hospice’s medical directors said, “Spiritual support sometimes helps with complicated grief issues. The patient may need spiritual support to help them get through death. Whether the patient has lost touch with God, or with other people in their lives, these issues have to be dealt with by somebody who is spiritually connected.” Conversations with our chaplain provide one additional avenue of support.
Bereavement support is available to family members as they deal with the loss of a loved one. Our trained bereavement team is available to our patients’ families for at least a year, providing phone calls, visits, support groups, grief support activities for children, including Camp Dragonfly, and education programs.
Volunteers bring an added element to Home Hospice care, offering companionship to watch a movie, read aloud, put a photo album together, run errands, mow lawns, or prepare a special dish. They have helped patients go on one last fishing trip, participate in a wedding ceremony, and record cherished memories for families. Volunteers are the heart of Home Hospice. Volunteers do what a good friend or neighbor would.
Medications related to a hospice diagnosis are provided at no additional charge, with delivery available 24/7. Local pharmacists oversee, along with the physician and nurse, all medications for Home Hospice patients. For some, with multiple prescriptions, that oversight is greatly appreciated. Home Hospice staff receive education and guidance in effective medication utilization through constant communication with pharmacies.
Medical equipment can ease symptoms, assist with mobility or make care easier. Home Hospice partners with a company that delivers needed devices and oxygen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no charge. Knowledgeable personnel come to the patient, set up the equipment, and provide instructions for use.
Education and outreach opportunities include many educational opportunities, support groups, workshops, a lending library, a newsletter, a speaker’s bureau, and monthly sharing groups.
“The whole Home Hospice team was excellent, tender, loving, kind, and patient. We could not have chosen anyone to care for her as awesome and loving as her team from Home Hospice.”
