What Is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is a distinctive kind of care in a specialized care setting that focuses on the person’s (and their caregivers) quality of life who are experiencing a life-limiting illness. Hospice provides compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease (for example, cancer) so that they may live as comfortably as possible. Hospice care treats the person and symptoms of the disease, rather than treating the disease itself, accepting death as the final stage of life. The hospice team is family-centered, coordinating and supervising all care 24/7, and working together to manage symptoms so that a person’s last days may be spent with dignity and quality without trying to postpone or hasten the passing.

Major components of hospice care include aggressive pain control and management of symptoms that may arise, continued communication among the providers, patients and family, assisting the patient with daily living activities, spiritual care and grief counseling for the family and patient.

Additionally, comfort care (also called palliative care) is often incorporated into hospice to prevent or treat symptoms and side effects as early as possible; essentially, to help patients be comfortable and feel as good as possible, while allowing them to enjoy their family and the last stage of life without significant discomfort, nausea, pain, etc.

Hospice care assures you and your family that you are not alone and can get help at any time.

Communities Providing Hospice Care

• Gideon Care Center
• Memory Lane of Dexter
  
• Prairie View Skilled Nursing
  
• Rock Point Nursing Center
  
• Daybreak Nursing Center
• Winchester Nursing Center
• Winchester Place Assisted Living