What is Hospice?
Hospice care is comfort-centered care (often referred to as Palliative care). Hospice takes a holistic approach in caring for patients and their families while striving to meet the needs of the person with the life-limiting illness.
Curative care focuses on curing the illness, while palliative care is centered on maintaining patient comfort when a cure is no longer possible or the risks of treatment outweigh the possible benefits of such treatment.
This special way of caring promotes the highest degree of comfort, dignity and peace for all involved and includes addressing the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients and families. Importantly, hospice adapts to the changes as the illness progresses, while guiding the patient and family through the changing goals of care.
Hospice is a palliative care program that specializes in the care and issues at the end-of-life.
Getting Started with Hospice
Hospice care is still a mystery to many people. For quick answers to your questions about all of the services that Art of Hospice Care provides, and how we do it, call us. In most cases, a patient is referred to us by their physician, but anyone can refer a patient to Art of Hospice Care by calling or submitting a form online.
Once we receive notice our help is requested, the Art of Hospice Care clinical team will step in and have the necessary conversations to get our comprehensive hospice services started. This includes talking with the patient, family and the patient’s physician(s).
WHO WE CARE FOR?
Art of Hospice Care provides care to anyone facing a serious life-limiting illness but that does not mean a person must be close to death to be admitted to our hospice.
LIFE EXPECTANCY
A hospice appropriate patient is defined as someone with a life expectancy of six months or less, however, it is not unusual for some of our patients to live longer than six months.
A LIFE LIVED
Some recent studies definitely indicate that patients who receive hospice care can actually live longer than patients who did not enroll in a hospice service.
ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES
Hospice is a routine part of medicine, representing an important resource in the completion of good medical care. Yet only a minority of dying patients receives hospice care. Of those that do receive hospice, past experience shows that nearly one half of all patients are admitted too late for it to be fully effective.
We have included the following illness-related guidelines for your review. However, if you have any questions about the appropriateness of referring your patient to hospice, or would like to schedule a consultation, please don’t hesitate to call us at (619)756-7096.
LEVELS OF HOSPICE CARE
Hospice offers four levels of care customized to meet the individual needs of the patient including physical, psychological and emotional needs.
The four levels of care are listed below:
ROUTINE LEVEL OF CARE
This type of hospice care is provided in the patient’s home and includes: assisted living communities, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities.
HOSPICE GENERAL IN-PATIENT CARE
This type of hospice care is available for those patients experiencing acute or severe pain or symptoms that cannot be managed in the home. This level of care allows for patients to be admitted to a hospice in-patient unit, hospital or a skilled nursing facility until pain and symptoms can be managed (usually three to seven days).
CONTINUOUS CARE
This level of care is offered to patients during a period of crisis in order to keep them at home. Continuous Care is provided by Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants to monitor and gain control over the acute symptoms and pain. Other members of the hospice team may participate in patient care during this time.
RESPITE CARE
Respite care is commonly used when the patient’s caregiver(s) would benefit from a break from the day-to-day responsibilities of caring for a patient in a home setting. Specifically, respite care is provided in an approved facility and is generally limited to five (5) consecutive days at any one time. Placement for care is arranged by a Art of Hospice Care team member.
ART THERAPY
PET THERAPY
Art of Touch
ART OF HOSPICE
We committed to offer an elevated therapeutic level of care approach.
ART OF TOUCH
Is one of our beneficial integrated service that brings a gentle Massage to our patients.
OUR LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPISTS TRULY FULFILL THE TRUE ART OF CARING.
HOSPICE MASSAGE THERAPY PROVIDES: Healing presence of touch for comfort.
Pain management Stress & anxiety relief. Eased depression and fear. Improve blood circulation Prevent pressure sores Restful sleep. Stabilized heart rate.
MUSIC THERAPY
REFLECTING MEMORIES
E-BEREAVEMENT
DAILY AFFIRMATIONS
These messages of hope, healing and affirmation are delivered to your email inbox every day. Subscribe easily, and unsubscribe when you’re ready. Such small doses of comfort will help you move through the cycle of grief, and work wonders for your outlook. Everyone’s bereavement journey is different and it can take a long time. you or someone you know could use a little extra encouragement. Feel free to tell a friend or add their name and email address for a little extra encouragement and extra doses of comfort during this rocky time.
LIFE STORIES
Every life has a story and Art of Hospice Care can help you tell it. Everyone deserves to be the star in the movie of their life we can make it happen at Art of Hospice Care. We’ll honor your loved one with a cinematic Hollywood style custom tribute video. We blend scenic backgrounds and music of your choice and your treasured family photos to create a one-one-a-kind biographical film that you’ll treasure for years to come.
GRIEF & HEALING
Sometimes your grief is so over whelming, you just can’t face leaving the house. In fact, you may not get out of your pajamas for days, and with our online interactive grief videos, there’s simply no need to do either as you can go to our Interactive Grief videos any time you wish. These interactive videos explore the dimensions of grief, as well as the dynamic cycle of experience.
If you are wondering when to start hospice care for yourself or a loved one, now is the time to call Art of Hospice Care.
A team of experts is standing by to answer your questions.
Call: (619)756-7096
Fax: (619)487-0218
Email: info@artofhospicecare.com
Address: 7710 Balboa Ave, Suite 329, San Diego, CA 92111