SOMC Hospice
What is Hospice?
Hospice is a medically directed supportive service for patients with a life limiting illness and their families. The goal is to provide a continuation of care, which offers patients choices for enhancing the opportunities for completing their lives with dignity, purpose and peace. Focusing on home care, the Hospice staff works with both patients and family members to solve the problems associated with life limiting illness.
Hospice has become an important part of today's health care system. The Hospice alternative ensures support for patients and families that is medically comprehensive but still supports their emotional and spiritual needs. SOMC Hospice offers a team of nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, therapists, and volunteers who will work to provide quality of life in an intensively personal way. When the hope for cure is no longer realistic, Hospice seeks to discover ways to add quality and life to the remaining days.
What does SOMC Hospice do?
We develop a coordinated, individualized program of care for each patient and family by providing physical, emotional, social and spiritual support.
Our services include:
- Intermittent professional nursing. The hospice nurse works with the attending physician to carry out the day-to-day care plan and coordinates the use of other Hospice services as needed.
- Pain and symptom management. Comfort becomes the focus of hospice care. The SOMC Hospice team specializes in managing pain and relieving the distressing symptoms of life limiting illness. Free from discomfort and pain, the patient can focus on enjoying their remaining life with family and friends.
- Home health aide/homemaker services. Personal care and/or homemaking assistance helps families maintain daily routines at home.
- Spiritual care. The Hospice chaplain can provide spiritual support in coordination with the family's own religious network.
- Medical social services. A long or catastrophic illness may cause financial, legal or social problems. The Hospice social worker can help link the family with appropriate resources.
- Counseling. When a family member is dying, everyone needs support. SOMC Hospice offers supportive counseling and "an opportunity to talk it out" for patients and families.
- Volunteer services. Specially trained volunteers may provide respite for the family; assist with household tasks, errands and transportation; or provide companionship and support.
- Dietary guidance. A registered dietitian is available to help patient and family members understand the changes in the patient's nutritional needs.
- Short-term inpatient care. Inpatient care for pain and symptom management or family respite is provided in the SOMC Hospice inpatient unit.
- 24-hour on-call. SOMC Hospice provides whatever is needed when it is needed. Hospice is available 24 hours a day to patients and families for telephone consultations and/or home visits.
- Therapists (occupational, speech, physical). These professionals are available as needed to assist with enhancing the patient's remaining life.
- Bereavement support. Feelings of loss and grief often begin at the time of diagnosis and continue long after the patient's death. Support is available for at least one year after the patient dies.
How is a referral to Hospice made?
Referrals to SOMC Hospice may be initiated by anyone, including the patient, family or friends. A phone call to the Hospice office begins the process. A registered nurse will talk with the physician, patient and family to determine the appropriateness of hospice care.
Who is eligible for care?
- The patient who has a life limiting illness in advanced stages and needs supportive treatment and care. This may include end-stage lung, kidney, heart or neurological disease, or cancer.
- The patient who is no longer undergoing curative treatment. Hospice care should be considered when treatment begins to shift from curative interventions to symptom management.
- The patient with a life expectancy of six months of less. Referral early in the terminal phase enables Hospice to provide the most supportive, personal environment for the patient and family.
- The patient with a primary caregiver available for the patient's comfort and safety at home. A patient who is able to provide self-care at the time of referral may be accepted for hospice care provided that arrangements can be made for future needs.
- The patient who resides in Scioto, Pike, Jackson Counties or near their borders, or is a resident of a contracted nursing home.
- The patient whose physician approves the referral and agrees with hospice principles of care.
- The patient and family who are aware of the diagnosis and accept the hospice philosophy of care.
Patients are accepted regardless of age, race, color, creed, national origin, handicap or ability to pay.
How are services paid for?
Services are paid for through a combination of insurance reimbursements and private funding.
SOMC Hospice is certified as a Medicare hospice provider. For Medicare-eligible patients, the hospice benefit covers a much broader range of services than regular Medicare. This includes all outpatient drugs and supplies necessary to manage the life limiting illness, hospital-type equipment, and inpatient respite care designed to provide the family periodic rest from the demands of caregiving.
In addition to Medicare, other third-party payers now offer hospice benefits.
SOMC Hospice provides care based on need, regardless of a patient's insurance or ability to pay. Community support through memorials and donations helps ensure the services will always be available.
What is the focus of hospice care?
SOMC Hospice focuses on symptom control and decreasing the suffering experienced by dying patients and their families. Care is focused on decreasing the discomfort.
Hospice advocates the use of state of the art medical intervention to promote quality of life. Certain aggressive therapeutic treatments such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation are believed inconsistent with hospice philosophy. However, interventions to promote comfort will be provided.
SOMC Hospice supports the patient/family freedom of choice to revoke their hospice choice and choose aggressive intervention.
Hospice is a health care alternative for those desiring to remain in a home like environment.
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