Hospice 101: What Services Are Provided By Hospice?

Let's review what we have learned in the last two posts:

1- Hospice is Nursing Care provided for the terminally ill as certified by a physician. It is intended to keep the patient comfortable while controlling pain as well as providing social services and spiritual support.

2- A person qualifies for Hospice when a doctor has certified that, given the natural progress of the admitting diagnosis, the patient has a life expectancy of approximately 6 months.  Admitting diagnoses can include terminal diseases as well as declines in health in the aged.

   Our team of professionals are trained in end-of-life care and work together with the client, their family and their physician to meet the medical, physical and emotional needs of the terminally ill patient and their loved ones. 

   Hospice Care is not 24 hour care but it does provide nursing, aides, social services, volunteers and spiritual support for patients through the end-of-life process as well as for their families for a year after the loss of their loved one. 

   Hospice care can take place in your home, a nursing facility or even a hospital.

   I have personally witnessed the positive change that can  take place in a situation where Hospice care is needed.  Caregivers are educated and supported in providing the cares and comfort for their loved ones.  

Our Nurses  provide skilled services for pain management and comfort.  They let the family be as involved as possible in making the decisions about the care for their loved one.  

Aides can provide assistance with bathing, grooming and even some light housekeeping. 

A Social Worker will visit with the patient and the family to alleviate any concerns or questions and can guide you to valuable resources and programs that could also be of assistance.  

A Chaplain is a non-denominational, spiritual component of our team.  He is able to provide the spiritual support that is so often needed at this time of life.  

Our team also offers Volunteers for various patient needs.  

All of these services are available but are not required to be used by the patient and family.

Not sure if you or your loved one would qualify for Hospice Care?  Call our caring staff and let us help you through the process and answer any of your questions, 801-225-3377.

Hospice 101: What Qualifies Someone For Hospice?

In an effort to continue to educate everyone about Hospice care I would like to talk about things that would qualify someone for Hospice. Keep in mind that Hospice is regulated by the government and ALL Hospice agencies offer the EXACT sames services. There is not an agency that can legally offer

As a reminder from the last post, Hospice care is skilled nursing, social services and spiritual support for a terminally ill patient who is not seeking curative treatment for their admitting diagnosis.  This care also helps support the patients family during, and after, the loss of their loved one.

A doctor must certify that, given the natural process of the illness, the patient's life expectancy is approximately 6 months. Many times there is not a terminal illness diagnosis but an elderly patient will still qualify under the Medicare guidelines for services.  Caregivers may be so close to the situation that they do not see the subtle changes on a day to day basis but their loved one could be receiving services and the caregivers load could be lightened.

Here are some signs to watch for:

Has the patient
Been hospitalized or taken to the emergency room several times during the past 6       months?
Been making more frequent phone calls to physicians?
Been taking medication to lessen physical pain?
Been spending most of the day in a chair or bed?
Fallen several times over the past 6 months?
Needed help from others for :

• Bathing
• Cooking
• Eating
• Dressing
• Getting out of bed
• Walking

Experienced noticeable weight loss?
Started feeling weaker or more tired?
Noticed shortness of breath, even while resting?

If you answered "yes" to four or more of the questions above, your loved one could likely qualify for services. Remember that we will still need a Doctor's order for Hospice care but giving our company a call would get the ball rolling.  We can, with your permission, contact your primary care physician and work hand in hand with him to get needed services started and help "make the most of every minute that is left."

Give our office staff a call at 801-225-3377 and let them help you  get services started.

10,000 VIEWS!! Thank You! Have You Been to the Blog?

10,000!! 

We must be doing something right! 

   Our goals at Freedom Home Health and Hospice are to:

*Serve members of our community with the best Home Health and Hospice care available.

*Educate our community through CARE meetings, Senior Citizen Programs our Newsletter and Blog.

*Inspire our Community to serve, care and educate each other.

Thank you for being a support to us!

Pass it on!  There are so many who do not have the valuable information about caregiving, services and resources available to them. 

  

What is Home Health and Who Pays for It?

Has your loved one recently had a fall, illness or surgery that has weakened them?  They could possibly benefit from Home Health!

Home Health is a service that provides nursing, physical, occupation and speech therapy as well as aide assistance, when needed, in the privacy of your home.  This is intended only for people who are considered homebound or who have a difficult time getting themselves to an appointment.  I often see caregivers bringing their parent to a doctor's appointment because their parent cannot drive or needs that extra assistance.  This would be considered homebound.

There are more than 25 Home Health agencies serving in Utah County and being regulated through the government, we can all only offer THE SAME THING.  Many would say, "Then what is the difference in who I choose?"  It comes down to the employees of that company.  If you prefer a male aide, call around to several companies to see if they have one.  If there is a certain physical therapist that you have had before, ask him which companies he is contracted with.  Ask family and friends if they have used an agency before that they could recommend. You would be surprised how many people are connected to one company or another.

So, what makes Freedom Home Health and Hospice different?
There are so many answers to this question!  Here are just a few:

*100% of our clients say they would recommend us to their family and friends!  This information is from our Medicare Pinnacle Survey and it couldn't be a bigger compliment.

*Our nurse will attend follow up appointments with our clients while they are on service to make sure our team has the full picture when providing cares for our client.

*Freedom Home Health is contracted with several physical, speech and occupational therapists and we are most likely contracted with your favorite!  Just call and let us know which therapist you are looking for.

*We pride ourselves in excellent communication with the client, family and medical professionals making us all a part of the team of caring.

*Freedom not only serves clients in their home, we serve the community with Caregiver Support Groups, Senior Programs and educational information including our blog,

FreedomHomeHealthandHospice.blogspot.com

The biggest question I am asked about Home Health is, "Who pays for this?"  If you are on Medicare, it is paid 100%!  Many HMO's follow the Medicare guidelines and pay 100% after your deductible.  We also accept private pay.  If you have an HMO just call and we will see if we can serve you by contacting the insurance company.  If, for some reason we cannot, we will find out who can serve you, with their phone number, and call you back.

How do I get on Home Health services?

Simple, give us a call at 801-225-3377 and one of our office executives will visit with you about your situation.  They will gather information concerning your needs, your primary care physician and your insurance information.  We will contact your doctor and let him know we have visited with you and that you feel that Home Health could possibly help restrengthen you.  When your doctor gives us an order we will set up an appointment to send one of our specialized registered nurse's to your home to do an assessment of your needs.  It's that easy!

Not sure if Home Health is something you or your loved one needs?  Just call, we can help you figure that out with just a few questions.  

We look forward to being your company and letting you experience the "Freedom Difference".

Understanding Hospice

Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.

Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death. Hospice staff and volunteers offer a specialized knowledge of medical care, including pain management.

The goal of hospice care is to improve the quality of a patient's last days by offering comfort and dignity.

Hospice care is provided by a team-oriented group of specially trained professionals, volunteers and family members.

Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient's pain and discomfort.

Hospice deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease on the patient and the patient's family and friends.

Hospice offers a variety of bereavement and counseling services to families before and after a patient's death.

History of Hospice
The word "hospice" stems from the Latin word "hospitium" meaning guesthouse. It was originally used to describe a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages. During the 1960's, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher's Hospice near London. St. Christopher's organized a team approach to professional caregiving, and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying. The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974.

Today there are more than 4,700 hospice programs in the United States.* Hospice programs cared for 965,000 people enrolled in Medicare in 2006,** and nearly 1.4 million people in the United States in 2007*.

Hospice is not a place but a concept of care. Eighty percent of hospice care is provided in the patient's home, family member's home and in nursing homes. Inpatient hospice facilities are sometimes available to assist with caregiving.

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* Figure from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
** Figure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).