We work with patients, families and their care providers to assure a seamless continuum of quality end-of-life care. Working closely with the patient, family and staff, the Hospice provides comprehensive care that addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual concerns that can arise when a person is at the end of life.

When we provide hospice care in a facility, we work with the facility's staff to establish a collaborative plan of care. We consider the staff at the facility as part of the caregiving team and we provide training in end-of-life care.

Is hospice care available to nursing home residents? Yes. The services of hospice care programs are provided wherever patients are spending their final days, whether in their own home, in a family member's home, a skilled nursing facility or at our Care Center. The hospice team helps patients live out their final days with dignity and with as much physical comfort as possible.

The members of the hospice team try to help nursing home patients to be as free of pain as possible. They also try to help them be at peace with themselves and their illness. At the same time, the hospice team provides support, education and counseling to family members, nursing home staff and other nursing home residents who know the patient.

What specific services does a hospice program provide?
For the dying patient who lives in a nursing home, hospice care programs can provide the following services:

• Nursing services above and beyond the usual nursing home care
• Training of family members in patient care, as appropriate.
• Spiritual and emotional support for both the patient and the family.
• Help with practical matters associated with terminal illness.
• Speech, occupational and physical therapies (when these services are considered useful by the hospice team).
• Coordination of services and care with the patient's family doctor.
• Through the Hospice Medicare Benefit, equipment and medicines are paid for when they are ordered by the hospice team.
• Expert management of physical symptoms.
• Bereavement and support groups for families.