What does Hospice Offer?

The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain free as possible.

The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient’s death experience reflects their wishes.

Here are five ways that hospice helps to deliver this:

1. Hospice gives you comfort. Hospices are experts at managing life-limiting illness. The hospice team ensures that medication, therapies and treatments all support a care plan that is centered on the patient’s goals. And hospice services can be wherever the patient calls home, allowing friends and family to visit freely—something they might not be able to do in a hospital ICU setting.
2. Hospice gives you peace. Beyond physical relief, hospice strives to help patients and families find emotional and spiritual comfort during what is often a very traumatic time. Hospice organizations are able to provide families with counselors, therapists, spiritual care advisors and bereavement professionals who can best support their struggles with death and grieving. These services are part of the hospice benefit, covered by Medicare, Medicaid or most private insurances.
3. Hospice gives you something extra. Hospice is not only about compassionate medical care and control of pain. Art and music therapists inspire joy; pet therapy and massages are offered at many programs as well.
4. Hospice gives caregivers guidance. Most families are not prepared to face the death of a loved one. In addition to caring for patients, hospice also offers services for families and loved ones that provide emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers and adjust to the future with grief support for as long as needed. 
5. Hospice gives you more. Be it more joy, more love, or more quality of life in
   general, the goal of hospice is to offer patients the ability to enjoy the time
   they have remaining, and create meaningful memories for their families.

Hospice offers more moments of life.

FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care believes every individual with a limited life expectancy should be assured quality of life regardless of place of residence. The Hospice team of professionals and trained volunteers teach family and friends how to care for their loved one at home. All aspects of the patient’s physical and emotional needs, as well as the family’s support needs, are confidentially assessed by the Hospice & Palliative Care team. For more information, call (910) 715-6000 or click here.