Introducing hospice care offers your patients and residents an important choice when dealing with the end of life.

As a hospital discharge planner, home healthcare agency administrator, or residential facility administrator, you are often best acquainted with your patient’s needs and when it may be appropriate for you to recommend hospice as an option for care. When that time comes, Hope Hospice is here to support you, the patient and the family.

Hospice care is unique because it focuses on meeting an individual’s physical needs, while also supporting their emotional, social, and spiritual needs.

In general, patients must meet the following criteria to be eligible for hospice care:

Adults with a prognosis of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course
Prognosis is certified by the patient’s primary care physician as well as the hospice medical director
Patient and family desire palliative care as opposed to curative treatment
Hospice can continue beyond six months as long as the patient continues to meet eligibility criteria

A common misconception about hospice care is that a referral can be premature. Hospice care is most effective over a period of months, yet most hospice patients die within a month of referral based on the reluctance to refer patients earlier or at all. An early referral can provide your residents with the extra attention and focused hospice care that relieves symptoms and manages pain. It also offers your individuals and their families a vital opportunity to deal with their loss and say goodbye.

The benefits of referring a patient/resident to Hope Hospice include:

Ease of referral and minimal paperwork
Providing 24 hour care to help you manage your patients’/residents’ hospice and end of life care needs
If the patient/resident resides in your facility they can stay there; the care comes to their bedside
On-site educational training for your staff regarding hospice and end-of-life care
Providing your patients with a caring option to manage their end-of-life journey that reflects well on you
Supporting, reinforcing and respecting the relationship you and the physician have with your patient
Ongoing pain management and symptom relief for your patients so you can rest assured that they are comfortable.
As a non-profit organization we do not have to limit our visits so you can rest assured that your patients/residents will get the care they need when they need it on a 24 hour basis.

To assist you in educating your patients about hospice, we have developed a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” (download here) that you may distribute.

Training and Education
We offer ongoing training and education for hospitals, agencies and care facilities staff. Click here to learn about the opportunities available to you.

On Call Newsletter
We publish a free newsletter for healthcare professionals that provides up to date information about hospice and end of life care. Click here to download recent issues or Click here to be placed on our mailing list to receive future issues.