Who is Eligible for Hospice Care?

Qualifying Criteria:

Anyone may inquire about hospice care for themselves or a loved one, you do not need a doctors order to learn more about our services. Hospice care is recommended and available to anyone who has a life limiting illness, with an expected prognosis of six months or less IF the disease follows its anticipated course. Most often we hear from patients and families, “we wish we would have known about you sooner”.

A hospice staff member will coordinate with you and to set a time for a meeting to discuss services provided. Our Hospice team works closely with your own personal physician. Once your physician authorizes care, hospice services may begin.

How is Hospice Funded?

Many hospice services are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurances. However, with generous community support, no one is denied care due to an inability to pay. Donations received from families, friends and other community members allow us to provide extra care, including equipment or medications not covered by conventional means.

Reasons to Call for Hospice Consult:

• Unexplained significant weight loss
• Worsening of disease despite treatment
• Difficult to control symptom: breathing, pain, anxiety; nausea/vomiting
• Multiple health concerns
• Recurrent hospitalizations or emergency room visit’s
• Request to be cared for at home/nursing home/ assisted living- “where they call home”.
• Requesting for comfort care, no aggressive life prolonging treatment.

Services We Offer.

Skilled Nursing

• Experienced, primary care nurses
• Specialized training in palliative symptom management and end of life needs
• Provides comprehensive assessment
• Education and support to patient and caregivers
• Visits are intermittent and based on patient and caregiver medical needs
• Coordinates with physician and other team members as a patient advocate.
• Coordinates equipment and medication need for palliative symptom management and related to life limiting illness is coverage by hospice benefit.

Home Health Aide

• Provides personal cares
• Companionship
• Light housekeeping

Social Services

• Routine visits to assist with end of life concerns
• Assist with alternative placement needs
• Advanced care planning
• Contact your clergy to assist with your spiritual needs.
• Arrange for volunteers to sit or visit with clients, run errands or other tasks to allow caregivers respite

CHI Health at Home Hospice...

• Provides primary nursing care with a qualified registered nurse that you are most familiar with on a consistent basis.
• Requires nurses and aides to be cross-trained from home care to hospice when needed. This allows the relationship and rapport the client and family have developed with their primary nursing staff to continue at a most vulnerable time.
• Comes to you. Whether in your own home or a nursing home. Should client placement needs change, your primary caregivers will follow as well.
• Focuses on life. Once the decision is made by the client and loved ones to start palliative treatment for end stage advanced illness, the focus is on patient-guided holistic comfort care.
• Strives for improved symptom management at end of life to ensure quality time and energy may be utilized in completing life’s work and relationships.
• Assist with grief before, during and following the loss of a loved one. Bereavement services are provided to your loved ones after your passing for 13 months.