Hospice Care Team |

Hospice care is a family-centered approach that includes a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, and trained volunteers. They work together focusing on the patient’s needs; physical, psychological, and spiritual. The goal is to help keep the patient as pain-free as possible, with loved ones nearby until death.

The hospice team develops a care plan that meets each patient’s needs for comfort and to maximize the quality of life.

Physician

Attending physicians certify admission of terminally ill patients to Hospice of the Calumet Area. A patient whose prognosis is six months, or less, if the disease runs its normal course is appropriate for the Hospice program.

The attending physician continues to manage the patient’s care; the physician retains control of patient care through:

Writing or validating order for medications, equipment, and treatments;
Receiving updated reports from the Hospice team regarding the patient’s condition;
Monitoring the progress of the patient’s disease

Patients admitted in the Hospice of the Calumet Area program may continue to receive services from their attending physicians; these services should be appropriate to the Hospice philosophy of non-aggressive treatements.

Attending physicians may continue to bill their usual source for all professional services. Patient’s participation in the Hospice program does not affect physician reimbursement.

Registered Nurse

Nurses are key to the Hospice philosophy of care. By assessing the patient’s physical/medical needs, collaborating with their attending physician, and providing direct patient care, they seek to maintain the patient’s quality of life through pain and symptom management.

Hospice nurses…

Teach the caregiving family members the skills needed to increase their confidence to care for the patient at home;
Monitor the patient’s condition in order to facilitate changes in the Plan of Care;
Utilize appropriate resources to assist the patient and family;
Help patient and family to understand and address changes as they occur, minimizing associated stress and anxiety.

A Hospice nurse is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to answer questions, assist with crisis situations, and to respond at the time of death.

Social Worker

Social Workers assist patients and families by providing emotional support, education and counseling tailored to meet the needs of each individual and family. The Social Worker will assist you by providing:

Counseling and Education: Patients and families meet with the Social Worker to discuss their concerns, emotions and fears. The Social Worker helps the family manage stress and anxiety. With the entire Hospice team, the Social Worker’s goal is to assist the patient and family to support their quality of life.

Counseling for Children: The Social Worker offers support and guidance to help children and adolescents cope with death and grief.

Planning for Future Needs: The Social Worker can assist patients in completing advance directives to document their wishes relating to health care decisions. They can also provide information on funeral planning.

Referrals: The Social Worker facilitates and coordinates referrals to appropriate Hospice support services and community resources. Assistance may be given to access programs such as Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. Referrals can also be made to individual counseling services should family members so desire.

Spiritual Care

Many individuals and families seek meaning in their living and in their dying. Spirituality is about one’s own beliefs. Hospice patients determine their own spiritual needs. The spiritual care team facilitates the fulfillment of those needs, as desired.

If spiritual support is desired, a Hospice spiritual team member addresses individual needs by:

Establishing clergy visits of the patient’s religious preference;
Writing to your clergy and establishing contact;
Providing direct spiritual support to the patient/family through regularly-scheduled visits;
Helping to minimize stress and anxiety as it relates to spiritual concerns.

The spiritual focus is non-denominational in accordance with the faith and beliefs of the individual patient and family.

Hospice Aide

Hospice of the Calumet Area’s Home Health Aide staff will assist Hospice families with the personal and physical care of their loved ones, as well as demonstrate such care to the family. Aides are available for scheduled visits to provide the following types of services:

Personal Care:

Bath, shower, bed bath
Shampoo and hair care
Oral hygiene
Shave
Skin care and massage
Range of motion exercises

Homemaking Services:

Changing bed linens
General light housekeeping of patient care area
Meal preparation for the patient

Volunteer

Volunteers have always played an important role at Hospice of the Calumet Area. They are valued members of the Hospice team. Our volunteers are men and women, young and old, from the community we serve.

We offer a number of volunteer opportunities. Under the direction of the Volunteer Coordinator, volunteers undergo pre-assignment screening, training and orientation to the Hospice philosophy of care.

Grief Counselors

The experience of loss is a fact of life for everyone. It can also be the most difficult and challenging experience we face. The grief process is one of growth and education. The work of grieving leads to a healthy adjustment. Hospice of the Calumet Area offers a Bereavement Program to all families served. Anyone in our community is welcome to participate in our bereavement program.

Hospice Care Team