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Physical, emotional and spiritual care
As one of the nation’s very first hospice providers, Pathways has decades of experience helping people live their remaining days to the fullest, in comfort and dignity. Easing the weight of care for families allows patients and loved ones to cherish their remaining time together better.
What to expect from hospice care
The goal of hospice care is to relieve symptoms, control pain, and give patients the support they need to enjoy their days as fully, normally, and comfortably as possible. Research shows that people who have hospice generally live longer than people with the same conditions who do not have hospice. In addition to providing medical, nursing, and personal care, Pathways hospice offers practical, spiritual and emotional support for both patients and their loved ones.
Hospice care team
Each hospice patient has an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals led by a registered nurse (RN) available to them. The team includes:
- An aide who provide personal care, support, and companionship
- A social worker to listen, counsel, and connect families with community support systems
- A chaplain to provide spiritual support or connect the family with members of their faith community
- A physician to review care for optimal management, support the patient’s own doctor, and to make house calls when needed
- A pharmacist who collaborates with physicians and nurses to prevent unwanted side-effects and drug interactions
- Trained vigil volunteers available to support patients and families at the end of life
In addition to providing compassionate hands-on care, our team teaches caregivers all they need to know to best care for their loved one. RNs are available by phone 24/7 and can make visits after office hours when needed. Many of our caregivers are fluent in a second language, a great comfort to patients whose native tongue language isn’t English.
Importance of early intervention
Hospice is considered to be the best model for quality, compassionate care for people with a life-limiting illness. By involving hospice early when a terminal illness exists, we can help to better manage a patient’s pain and symptoms.
Our hospice team engages family members in the care and support of the patient, training them in caring techniques, encouraging open communication among the family members and patient. We help both the family and patient with the issues of the illness and the reality of death. Waiting to involve us when time is short often decreases a patient’s options for comfort and takes away quality time family members would have otherwise enjoyed.
Transitioning to hospice
Before they are ready for hospice care, some patients receive palliative care, a multi-disciplinary approach to treating serious illness that focuses on comfort rather than on cure. Palliative care addresses symptoms, relieves pain, and maximizes quality of life for the seriously ill.
Palliative Care may be an additional service provided in the hospital, a supplement to medical care at a clinic, or when it is difficult to get to the clinic it can be provided at home through home health services such as Pathways.
A transition from palliative care to hospice may be recommended by a doctor when a patient’s life expectancy is projected to be 6 months or less. For those who qualify, hospice offers more services with fewer restrictions than palliative care.
Hospice from Pathways can be delivered in a private home, a nursing home, an assisted living facility—and sometimes in the hospital.
What makes Pathways hospice so exceptional?
Here are a few of the things that distinguish Pathways from other hospice providers:
- We are accredited by the ACHC, which also accredits hospitals
- We have a pharmacy team to assess patient medications and minimize the risks of side effects or medication interactions
- We offer a specialized dementia program tailored to the vulnerabilities of patients with cognitive issues
- Nurses are available 24-hours a day to address our patients’ questions and make visits as needed
- We provide unusually extensive grief support for families, including counseling, workshops, support groups, and remembrance events
Patient resources
In addition to specialty services we have specialized resources available to our Hospice Care patients.
Become a hospice volunteer
Hospice volunteers give the gift of themselves by providing support to patients and family members in a myriad of ways. Most of a volunteer’s time involves direct patient support. From providing companionship for the patient, to respite care to family members and vigil programs during the last hours of life, our volunteers give from the heart and touch the lives of others in extraordinary ways.
Many of our volunteers have experienced hospice care through the care a loved one received. With the knowledge of this unique and compassionate act, many people are inspired to give back. Upon joining the CHI Health at Home hospice team, all volunteers go through a detailed orientation to fully realize our mission and cultivate the range of skills needed to help patients and families.
Our hospice team makes a difference in so many lives. To join us as a volunteer, please contact us.