Hospice Services
What is Hospice?
Hospice is a philosophy of care that recognizes death as the final stage of life and enables patients to continue to live an alert and pain-free life. Hospice care focuses on managing symptoms so that the patient's last days may be spent with dignity.
Dame Cicely Saunders at St. Christopher's Hospice in London first applied the term "hospice" to specialized care for dying patients in 1967. Prior to that, hospice was a concept rooted in the centuries-old idea of offering a place of shelter and rest, or "hospitality," to weary or sick travelers on a long journey. Today, hospice care provides humane and compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as comfortably as possible.
Hospice affirms life and does not hasten or postpone death. Treating the person rather than the disease, hospice care highlights quality rather than length of life. It provides family-centered care involving the patient and family members in making decisions.
Hospice care is appropriate when you can no longer benefit from curative treatment and your life expectancy is about 6 months.
On-call staff is available for the patient and family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You, your family, and your doctor decide together when to initiate hospice services.
Where Are Hospice Services Offered?
Hospice care is extended in a variety of settings in accordance with the patient's and family member's wishes. Most hospice care is given in the home; family members and hospice staff serve as hands-on caregivers. However, hospice services can also be provided in another family member's home, a hospital, a nursing home, a residential care facility, or a private hospice facility. Our facility offers services to patients in Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Richland counties.
Our Hospice Team - Caring. For Life.
Barbara Manion-Platt, RN, is the Hospice Manager at Southwest Health Center. With 34 years of nursing experience, Barbara's career has focused on Hospice care for the past 12 years. "I consider myself a field nurse", she says. "I find hands-on nursing to be so very rewarding." Barbara is in a unique position of recruiting her own team of professionals. "I am thrilled to be able to build a team that is dedicated to Hospice care. This is a very special field that attracts a very special type of professional."
Our commitment to the team approach ensures that hospice patients and their family members receive the support they need.
Physician: The hospice plan of care will be developed in concert with the patient's primary care physician.
Registered Nurse: On-call and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the RN assesses the patient's condition and oversees patient care, pain management, and symptom control.
Social Worker: The social worker counsels patients and family members on the emotional, social, environmental, and financial stresses that often accompany limited life expectancy.
Certified Nurse Assistant: The CNA assists patients with daily personal care, such as bathing and grooming.
Chaplain: The chaplain is available to offer spiritual guidance for those who are interested.
Volunteers: Our trained volunteers share their time to help with patient care, transportation, and companionship. Click here for more information about our Hospice Volunteer program or email cliftond@southwesthealth.org
Who Pays For Hospice?
Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurers and HMO's. Southwest Health Center is committed to serving all who need hospice services regardless of one's ability to pay.
Additional Information
For more information about Southwest Health Center's Hospice program, call Barbara at (608) 342-0921.