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Southern Ocean HospiceHospice is a special kind of care designed to treat people in the final phases of a terminal diagnosis. The focus is on care, not cure, and on the quality of life, not the duration. Hospice service is provided primarily in the patient's home, allowing families to care for their loved one at home and to be together to share the patient's final days, months or years. Hospice is a promise to provide skilled, professional support and supplemental care. An interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, skilled nurses, certified home health aides, clinical social workers, pastoral counselors, and trained volunteers, provide individualized care and support. The team works closely with the patient, the caregiver and the family - together. Hospice is the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our families will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so. As a hospice patient, the following support services are made available in coordination with the patient's Individualized Care Plan, and may include: Physician Supervision
Typically, hospice care takes place at home or in a home-like setting and can also take place in a nursing home or a hospital. In most cases, a physician refers a patient to a hospice program when there is a prognosis of six months or less or when the focus of care has shifted from cure to comfort.
Hospice: Facts Vs. FictionThere are many misconceptions surrounding the hospice philosophy. Below are some of the myths followed by the facts about hospice care. Fiction: Hospice is a place where those facing their final days go to die. FACT: Hospice is not a place, but a philosophy of care. Supplemental care is provided where the beneficiary lives during the final days, months or years of a person's life. This allows families to be together when they need it most, caring for and sharing in their loved one's final stage of life; in peace, pain free and with dignity. . . . . . Fiction: A physician decides whether a patient should receive hospice care and which agency should provide the care. FACT: It is the patient's right to determine when hospice is appropriate and which agency and program suits his/her needs. The physician's role is to recommend care, whether hospice or traditional curative care. . . . . . Fiction: Hospice only serves persons diagnosed with cancer and provides care only for the hospice patient, not the family members. FACT: Although many patients admitted to hospice have conditions related to cancer, other diagnoses include Alzheimer's disease, ALS, heart, lung, kidney, renal, and liver diseases. Hospice is a philosophy to assist and support the family as well as the patient. It is a commitment to the family and caregiver, to guide, to support and to assist. Hospice team members help to alleviate fears and provide understanding during a difficult time. . . . . . Fiction: To be eligible for hospice care, a patient must already be bedridden. FACT: Hospice care is appropriate at the time of the end-of-life prognosis, regardless of the patient's condition. Many of the patients served by hospice continue to lead productive and rewarding lives. Together, the patient, family, and physician determine when hospice services should begin. . . . . . For more information about Southern Ocean Hospice, please call SOCHConnect at 609-489-0252.
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