Our Hospice House is in a capital campaign and is under construction, with an estimated opening in May 2024. Here are the questions you and your loved ones should consider when thinking about Hospice Care and Hospice Houses.
Who can come here?
Hospice is appropriate for anyone diagnosed with a terminal illness whose life expectancy is measured as 6 months or less, and the primary goal has changed to comfort-oriented care.
How is hospice care different from palliative care?
Hospice Care is based in pain management rather than curative treatment. It is paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurances. Both services provide comfort care and stress relief. The ongoing concept of Hospice is to manage the patient's pain, and aide them in being symptom-free, while providing family support when needed. Another core concept of hospice is to provide the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social support often needed on a daily basis.
Will family be able to visit an inpatient home?
This is the benefit of a free-standing inpatient hospice home. Loved ones will be welcome 24/7 to enjoy time together while trained medical staff & volunteers do the work.
When to make the decision:
It is important to discuss options with your doctor and loved ones. As the illness progresses, hospice care relieves pain while allowing the illness to take its course to its natural conclusion; neither hastening death nor denying its arrival. Hospice is about living comfortably and dying with dignity.
"At some point, the illness outpaces every good thing that we can do. The caring doesn't stop but if, at that time, your expected prognosis is six months or less, that's the time for hospice."
— Juanita Smith, MD