Most hospice services are provided to individuals in their homes. Hospice provides the support, the teaching and the expertise to enable family caregivers to provide the needed care. Hospice services can also be provided in assisted living programs, nursing homes and other long-term care residences or in residential hospice settings.
The type and frequency of hospice services are tailored to meet the needs of the individual patient and the family.
“The thoughtful insights and honesty of the hospice philosophy allowed us to move through this difficult time with more understanding and dignity than I thought possible.”
-Daughter of a hospice patient
To support you and your family, the hospice program
- provides comfort care, including medications and therapies to relieve pain and symptoms.
- is available 24 hours a day to answer questions and give support.
- offers emotional support, counseling and spiritual support.
- teaches specific care techniques, such as turning, positioning and transferring out of bed, bathing and giving medications.
- arranges for necessary equipment such as a hospital bed, oxygen, bedside commode and wheelchair.
- coordinates any additional help and services needed in the home,
provides information about alternative settings, such as nursing homes or residential hospices. - offers grief support services, which may include letters, telephone and personal contact, counseling, as well as opportunities to share experiences in organized support groups.
Families can be expected to
- provide a safe, comfortable environment.
- alert the hospice team of changes in the patient’s condition.
- provide personal care such as feeding, bathing, turning and giving
medications.
*Around-the-clock care is paid for only in times of medical crisis.