WHAT IS HOSPICE?

Hospice is not a place you go to die.  Hospice is a philosophy of care that focuses on patient comfort and quality of life rather than curing the person's disease.  Hospice is a choice for someone with a terminal illness and life expectancy of six months or less, based on the normal progression of the illness.

Hospice care is typically given in the patient's home.  Hospice care in the home is not 24-hour nursing care, so patients are cared for by family members, hired caregivers, assisted living or skilled nursing home staff.  When symptoms become too severe at home then 24-hour care may be provided at the Hinds Hospice Home. 

The goal of hospice is to provide compassionate, effective care that is consistent with the needs and goals of patients and family caregivers -- the goal is not to hasten death.  Our hospice team works to maximize quality of life and minimize suffering for those we serve.

Now what? When you hear the words, “there is nothing else that can be done for your loved one”, often the response is, “now what?” Have I been abandoned? No you have not. When you choose to have Hinds Hospice care that care reflects a partnership between the patient, the family and the professional care providers as follows: 

Hinds Hospice is Hope.  People who choose hospice are not giving up hope, they are redefining hope. Though there may no longer be a possibility of curing their illness, they redirect their hope into mending and restoring relationships, spending quality time with those they love, and finding peace and comfort living this last and important phase of life to the fullest. 

WHAT IS HOSPICE CARE? 

hos·pice [ hóspiss ] care for the dying:  where treatment focuses on a patient’s well-being rather than a cure and includes visits by professionals to provide for pain management, and the person’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

When cure is not possible, hospice care is available to help people live each day to the fullest.  The goal of hospice is allow people to die with dignity and as symptom-free as possible along with supporting their loved ones. At Hinds Hospice, end-of-life care can be provided in a patient’s own home, a skilled nursing facility, a care facility or in the Hinds Hospice Inpatient Home.  If you or someone you care about is asking “now what?”, contact your physician today about a referral to Hinds Hospice or call the nearest Hinds Hospice office for help and information.

Hospice is available to anyone of any age, religion or race, any illness or disease.  You are cared for by a team of compassionate professionals that take the time to provide information that makes all available care choices known and easier to understand.  The care team consists of a Hinds Hospice R. N., L.V.N., Medical Social Worker, Home Health Aide, Chaplain, and Volunteer. All care team members work closely with our Medical Director and patient's personal physician. 

HISTORY OF HOSPICE

The word "hospice" first began being used in the mid-1800s to describe caring for dying patients by Mrs. Jeanne Garnier, the Founder of the Dames de Calaire in Lyon France. The Irish Sisters of Charity adopted it when they opened Our Lady's Hospice in Dublin, Ireland in 1879 and then again when they opened St. Joseph's Hospice in Hackney, London, England in 1905.

Hospice did not become more widely known until Dame Cicely Saunders founded St. Christopher's House in 1967 (http://www.stchristophers.org.uk/) . Dame Cicely had been a nurse, but was currently working as a medical social worker when she came upon a patient by the name of David Tasma in 1948. David was suffering from inoperable cancer and together, they discussed her hopes for one day opening up a place that was more of a home environment to care for the terminally ill that did a better job of focusing on pain management and preparing the patient for death. When David passed away, he left her and told her, "I will be a window in your home." This was all the inspiration she needed to open St. Christopher's Hospice and since then, her ideals have been adopted by those all over the world and she is known as the founder of the modern hospice movement.

Two years after the opening of St. Christopher's Hospice in England, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a book she based on over 500 interviews with dying patients. On Death and Dying became a best seller and gave people a first hand insight into the emotions and stages that people face when they are terminally ill. In her book, Dr. Kubler-Ross pleaded for better home care as opposed to an institutional or hospital setting. She argued that patients should have a choice when it came to their healthcare and promoted their ability to participate as much as possible in the decisions that affected them.

Also inspired by Dame Saunders' ideals, students at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut invited her to speak and were so inspired, that they created and launched the United States' hospice movement. In 1974, a Hospice nurse in Connecticut and an accompanying volunteer made their first Hospice Home Care visit to a hospice patient in their own home.

In 1981, Nancy Hinds in Fresno, California began caring for terminally ill patients in her own home. This inpatient hospice home allowed patients a place to die with dignity in a home setting when their family or caregivers were not able to care for them in their own homes.

In 1986, Congress made permanent the Medicare Hospice Benefit and the various States were allowed to decide whether they wanted to include hospice in their Medicaid programs.

Estimates show that there are approximately 3,200 different hospice programs in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam. This includes both inpatient (hospice home) programs and outpatient (in the patient's own home) programs.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TO SEEK HOSPICE CARE?
A medical doctors prognosis for the patient is six months or less to live. When the primary care physician and/or the patient determines there is no cure for the disease/illness and the patient wishes to shift treatment from cure to comfort and quality of life Hospice is an available option.

WHAT IF THERE IS A NEW TREATMENT THAT MIGHT CURE MY DISEASE?
Wonderful! Hospice can be cancelled at any time.

HOW DO I PAY FOR HOSPICE CARE?
Hospice care is a partially covered benefit under Medicare, MediCal and many private insurances. The portion of uncovered expenses is absorbed by the generous donations we receive as a non-profit organization from the communities we serve.

WHAT IF I JUST DON'T WANT HOSPICE ANYMORE?
You can cancel hospice at any time. If you are dissatisfied with our service, we ask that you call the Director to let her know what has happened. We take great pride in the care we provide and if, for some reason, you are not satisfied we would appreciate knowing what we need to improve.

WHAT IF MY FAMILY CANNOT TAKE CARE OF ME?
The team will work with you to ensure your comfort and safety as well as that of your family's. If they are unable to care for you at home, the team will help with placement at one of our contracted nursing facilities or possibly you can be moved to the Hinds Hospice Home.

WHAT IF I GET BETTER?
Patients starting hospice care often feel better because their symptoms are managed and perhaps because some of the difficulties are behind them. However, in some cases, people actually do improve and hospice is no longer appropriate for them because the physician believes they will live longer than the 6-month requirement. In this situation we will discuss it with you, your caregivers, our team and your physician to determine if you should stop receiving hospice care.

IS HOSPICE CARE ONLY FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS OR WEEKS OF LIFE?
No. Hospice care can begin any time after the physician determines that the patient's life expectancy is six months or less.

WHAT IF MY HOME IS A NURSING FACILITY?
Hospice guidelines require that a hospice have a signed contract with a nursing facility before providing care to any of their residents. This is a really good thing because when hospice and nursing facilities work together, quality care can be delivered wherever you call home.

WHAT IF I LIVE IN ASSISTED LIVING?
Regulations in an assisted living facility require that the owner obtain a hospice waiver for a resident to receive hospice care. Many of the facilities in our area have chosen to obtain this waiver and provide excellent care. Just ask the management if this is in place. If they have any questions, tell them to call us and we can help with any questions.

WHAT IF I NEED MEDICATIONS AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT?
Any medications or equipment needed pertaining to the patient's terminal illness are covered under your hospice insurance benefit.

HOW CAN I GET THIS SERVICE FOR MYSELF OR A FAMILY MEMBER?
Anyone can initiate a call for assistance. (559) 226-5683.  A nurse will then come to the patient and perform a hospice evaluation to see if the patient qualifies.

CAN I CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT HOSPICE CARE?
Absolutely. A patient may discontinue hospice care and begin again at a later date at any time.

SERVICES PROVIDED BY HOSPICE

THE HOSPICE INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM

At Hinds Hospice, we continually strive to provide the most complete and compassionate end-of-life care for patients and their families. That is why we have established a very unique Hospice Interdisciplinary Team to care for all aspects involved with a terminally ill patient. The team is comprised of the following professionals: