Hospice care in assisted living facilities
and nursing homes
Hospice of Kitsap County provides services wherever the patient is living
or receiving care. In some cases, it is in a assisted living facility,
home for the aged, adult foster care or a nursing home. Also, as of May 1, 2008, our inpatient care center is officially opened and we have admitted our first patients.
We work with patients, families and their care providers to assure a
seamless continuum of quality end-of-life care. Working closely with the
patient, family and staff, the Hospice of Kitsap County team provides
comprehensive care that addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual
concerns that can arise when a person is at the end of life.
When we provide hospice care in a facility, we work with the facility's
staff to establish a collaborative plan of care. We consider the staff
at the facility as part of the caregiving team and we provide training
in end-of-life care.
Is hospice care available to nursing home residents?
Yes. The services of hospice care programs are provided wherever patients
are spending their final days, whether in their own home, in a family
member's home, a skilled nursing facility or at our Hospice of Kitsap County Care Center. The hospice team helps patients live
out their final days with dignity and with as much physical comfort as
possible.
The members of the hospice team try to help nursing home patients to
be as free of pain as possible. They also try to help them be at peace
with themselves and their illness. At the same time, the hospice team
provides support, education and counseling to family members, nursing
home staff and other nursing home residents who know the patient.
What specific services does a hospice program provide?
For the dying patient who lives in a nursing home, hospice care programs
can provide the following services:
- Nursing services above and beyond the usual nursing home care
- Training of family members in patient care, as appropriate.
- Spiritual and emotional support for both the patient and the family.
- Help with practical matters associated with terminal illness.
- Speech, occupational and physical therapies (when these services are
considered useful by the hospice team).
- Coordination of services and care with the patient's family doctor.
- Through the Hospice Medicare Benefit, equipment and medicines are
paid for when they are ordered by the hospice team.
- Expert management of physical symptoms.
- Bereavement and support groups for families.
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