Our Services
Finding the right hospice service for your family is a matter of trust and reliability. With our personalized approach to care, you can be sure that your family’s needs are our priority.
Routine Home Care
Caring for hospice patients in their home setting is an invaluable part of their care journey, bringing comfort and assurance to the patient, family members, and caregivers. Everyday tasks, such as helping with bathing, laundry, grocery shopping, and companionship, can lift the patient’s spirits and provide emotional safety and security. Home care offers independence and a sense of stability, helping to maintain a balance in life that fosters inner strength over time. With the necessary resources, hospice patients can stay in a familiar, loving, and supportive environment.
Continuous Care
Compassionate end-of-life care is essential for patients and their loved ones. At the time of death, bereavement and coping can be challenging for families. With hospice care, however, comfort and attention are provided throughout the end-of-life process, providing peace of mind. Not only are physical needs met, but hospice services also offer emotional and spiritual support, helping the dying and their families find closure. Continuity of care provided by hospice allows better control over symptoms and reduces the need for frequent hospital visits and prolonged suffering. Ultimately, this ensures that the quality of life remains comfortable until death.
Respite Care
Caring for a loved one can be overwhelming. Respite care provides a much-needed break for family members to take time for themselves and feel secure knowing their loved one is in reliable hands. Whether it’s in-home or at a facility, respite services can offer regular check-ins, activities tailored to individual needs, companionship, transportation assistance, and more. Short-term options are available, allowing families to not have to commit to long-term arrangements if they don’t wish to. Receiving respite care can help reduce the strain of caring for an aging or ill family member, promoting the overall happiness and health of all.
Inpatient Care
Inpatient care is recommended for those needing more intensive treatment than what can be provided in an outpatient setting. This can be especially necessary for someone experiencing a critical medical issue that needs close monitoring over a time period.
Receiving inpatient care entails 24-hour medical supervision and treatment at a hospital or extended-care facility. This may incorporate an initial assessment, health screenings, diagnostic tests, treatments, medications, surgical procedures, psychological and emotional aid, physical rehabilitation, nutrition guidance, and disease and pain management education for the patient and their family members.
Our Team
Social Worker
Under the direction of a physician, qualified social workers assess the patient’s psychosocial needs and the family’s acceptance of medical social services, and evaluate any factors that may impede or facilitate the patient’s access to hospice care and services. This assessment will help to ensure the patient and family can gain the most benefit from hospice care.
RN Case Manager
A registered nurse supervises and carries out nursing care and services at the hospice, taking into account the patient’s initial and updated assessments to meet their nursing needs.
Bereavement Counseling
Counseling is accessible to both the patient and their family to help them cope with the stress, issues, and grieving associated with a terminal illness and the dying process.
Chaplain
Hospice chaplains/spiritual counselors aim to give spiritual counseling that fulfills the requirements of patients and their families, in line with their beliefs and wishes. All reasonable efforts will be made to invite local clergy, pastoral counselors, or other individuals who can best support the patient’s spiritual needs.
Certified Nurse Aid
Hospice aides provide direct care, carry out simple therapies or nursing procedures, and help with ambulation and exercises. They also help with self-medication, hygiene, and grooming, such as bed baths, shampooing, skin and nail care, oral hygiene, toileting, safe transfer, range of motion and positioning, and nutrition and fluid intake.
Volunteer
Volunteers for hospice care can assist in the office, carry out ancillary tasks, provide direct patient care, and offer support with household duties, shopping, transportation, and companionship for patients and their loved ones.
Our Expertise
- Any patient who has a life-limited or terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less if the illness runs its normal course.
- Patients with both cancer and non-cancer illnesses.
- Enhance the quality of the patient’s life through a comprehensive approach to care.
- Respect the patient’s wishes and provides education and counseling to the family.
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Available to adult patients of any race or religion.
- Covered under Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations.
Criteria for Hospice Eligibility
Your medical provider and a hospice medical director will ascertain if you are eligible for hospice care. Generally, hospice is an option if you:
- Have a prognosis of six months or less (in the event of a typical progression of the illness) as evaluated by the doctor and the hospice medical director.
- Choose palliation instead of curative treatment.
- Do not wish to return to the hospital or ER.
- Are suffering pain or any other discomfort.
- Want to stay home for as long as feasible.
- Would like help with psychological, social, and/or spiritual needs.
Insurance Coverage for Hospice Eligibility
Medicare/Medicaid Hospice
Care is a covered benefit under Medicare Part A and certain categories of Medicaid.
Private Insurance Hospice
Your hospice team can provide more information on how your private insurance plan covers hospice services. Let them know if you have multiple insurance policies so they can coordinate your coverage and explain any limits.
Limited or No Insurance
Your hospice social worker can help determine if you are eligible for Medicaid or uncompensated care. They can also provide information on the cost of hospice services if you choose to pay out-of-pocket.
What to Expect
When you choose the Hospice program, you are indicating that the Hospice should manage your healthcare with a palliative rather than curative approach. At that point, you, a family member, a physician, or a designated representative will have contacted Comfort Heart Hospice and a hospice representative will arrange a meeting with you and/or your family to explain Hospice and discuss your needs. Participation in Hospice is voluntary and your physician will certify that you have a terminal illness with a limited life expectancy. During the meeting with the Hospice representative, you or the legal representative will sign a form to give consent to enter Hospice. A Plan of Care will be developed with input from you and your family.
As licensed Medicare providers, Comfort Heart Hospice must adhere to all Federal and State Regulations for Hospice care. Our professional team is responsible for providing and authorizing services, treatments, hospitalizations, durable medical equipment, and drugs related to your life-limiting illness. If you have any questions or concerns regarding care, treatments, physicians, medications, or equipment and supplies, please call our Hospice to help you understand your plan of care and make sure you are not held financially responsible. We work with you to develop and maintain an up-to-date plan of care that meets your needs and desired outcomes. If at any time you decide to leave the Hospice Program, whether due to the remission of your illness, moving out of the service area, or simply no longer wanting Hospice care, please let us know.