- Is it Time for Hospice?
- What Does Hospice Involve?
- Can My Family Afford Hospice?
- Can Hospice Help with Pain Management?
- Can Hospice Help with More than Health Care?
- What Should I Consider When Choosing a Hospice?
- How Do I Initiate Hospice Services?
- Where Do I Go for More Information?
- Support Group Information
Most patients who use hospice are eligible for hospice long before they initiate services.
Since hospice can both enrich the lives of both patients and caregivers and relieve many of the burdens individuals should consider enlisting the aid of hospice as soon as they are eligible.
The most important consideration in hospice eligibility is whether the patient has a life-limiting disease and curative treatment is no longer being considered.
If his or her life expectancy is measured in months rather than years, the patient is almost certainly eligible for hospice. Although the general guideline is a six-month prognosis, each case is different. The important thing to remember is that quality of life with hospice assistance for both the patient and the caregiver is much better than without, so the earlier hospice care is initiated the better.
Some indications that a patient may be ready for hospice care include:
- Repeated visits to the emergency room or the hospital, from which the patient doesn't recover at the normal rate
- Difficulties breathing, urinating, eating or sleeping, inability to comprehend simple instructions, or increased complaints about pain
- Increased need for assistance in performing routine activities
- Decreasing awareness of activities going on around them, or a desire to sleep more and converse less, but there are some other considerations that might also help you decide whether you should look into hospice eligibility.
- Are the caregivers feeling overwhelmed? Are they struggling to provide care for the patient that they really feel unqualified to provide?
- Is it important to the patient to stay at home, whether that's a private residence or a long-term care facility?
- Could the patient benefit from having services like skilled nursing, counseling and spiritual support come to them, rather than having to make office visits for all of these services?
- Is it important to either the patient or the family to have a say in the patient's plan of care?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, and you or your loved one has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, it is probably time to at least ask about hospice.
Hospice is a type of specialized medical care for patients of any age ó even children ó who have a life-limiting illness.
Although the general public often associates hospice with cancer, hospice is available for patients with any life-limiting disease.
Catholic Community Hospice provides comfort and symptom control to patients with everything from heart , liver and kidney failure to Alzheimer's , ALS and dementia.
Hospice services are not provided by a single nurse or doctor. Rather, they are provided by a team of individuals that includes doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, bath aides, personal care attendants and counselors, all of whom contribute their expertise to the patient's plan of care.
All members of the hospice team treat the patient in his or her own home, whether that's a private residence or a long-term care facility.
Hospice nurses provide whatever medical care the patient needs, and teach the patient's family how to provide care between visits.
But Catholic Community Hospice provides much more than simple nursing care.
- First, our nurses are certified in palliative care and pain management, meaning that they are specially trained in keeping patients comfortable.
- These same nurses serve not only as the patient's and families' advocate with the physician, but also with the entire hospice team. Counselors, chaplains, social workers and other professionals are available for home visits as needed. It's as simple as asking the visiting nurse.
- Our nurses use laptop computers, and update each patient's plan of care at each visit. That way the most current information is readily available when questions arise.
- A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day for consultation.
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You can't afford not to.
Most insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, will pay for Hospice benefits. Generally there is very little that comes out of your pocket for Hospice care. Almost always coverage includes such things as beds, commodes, oxygen and even your medications related to your illness or hospice comfort care.
Please call and ask how you can be afforded the opportunity to receive hospice care from Catholic Community Hospice.
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Catholic Community Hospice recognizes that people suffering from a life-limiting illness can better enjoy the time remaining to them if the symptoms of their diseases are properly managed.
That is why Catholic Community Hospice nurses, unlike most other hospice nurses, are certified in pain management and palliative care. This means that even if our nurses can't make our patients well, they can keep them as comfortable as possible by treating the symptoms of their illness ó like pain.
Although pain management and palliative care are terms commonly associated with cancer patients, they are equally important to the proper care of patients coping with other difficult symptoms ó patients in the final stages of heart or kidney failure, for example.
In the past, perhaps because of the bias of their training to sustain life at all costs, the medical profession's response to the unique needs of patients in the final stages of a terminal illness might be characterized as ìtoo little too late.î
But in recent years the medical community has grown more comfortable with hospice care, which neither hastens nor postpones death, but gives patients some control over how they spend their final days.
Likewise, in recent years, developments in medications have made it possible to provide patients with an acceptable level of comfort with minimal side effects. This allows patients to enjoy activities and a quality of life that may have been impossible just a few short years ago.
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One of the most beneficial aspects of hospice care is the holistic approach it takes toward patient care. In other words, although our nurses can't cure the patient, they will certainly provide comfort and support physically, emotionally and spiritually.
As a faith-based Catholic hospice in Kansas City, Catholic Community Hospice is committed to helping people live the final months and weeks of their lives to the fullest and on their own terms.
If a patient has unfinished business with his or her family members, Catholic Community Hospice is there to facilitate the kind of communication that needs to take place for the patient to experience some peace.
If their faith life is important to the patient, our nurses and chaplains are there not only to pray with the patient, but also to arrange for visits from pastors, ministers, rabbis, or members of their congregations.
Finally, Catholic Community Hospice team members are there for the caregivers and the families as well as the patients and they're trained to care for them, too. Whether its respite, counseling, or bereavement support after the patient's death, our team will be there every step of this difficult journey. Some spouses and families of patients have been so impressed by our commitment and example, in fact that they choose to volunteer at Catholic Community Hospice to help others through the experience as well.
Surveys show that Americans are not as afraid of dying as they are of dying alone, dying in pain, or dying without dignity. Catholic Community Hospice professionals have made it their life's work to journey again and again down this difficult road with hospice patients. There is little turnover in our hospice team because they believe it is not only their job to serve as your companion on this journey, but their calling.
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Nurse-to-patient ratio
Perhaps one of the first and best indicators of the sort of care you will receive from a particular hospice is its nurse-to-patient ratio. Catholic Community Hospice has one of the lowest nurse-to-patient ratios in the metropolitan area. While some nurses at other hospices try to do justice to a caseload of 15 to 20 patients, our nurses enjoy caseloads of only 8 to 12 . This allows them more time to care for the patient as well as the caregiver and to meet special needs as they arise.
Moreover, most of our nurses are experienced hospice professionals, taking personal pride and satisfaction in providing the very best of care to their special patients. As a result, our nursing team is very experienced in all aspects of hospice care, and our employee turnover rate is very low.
Pain management/palliative care expertise
A second thing to look at when choosing a hospice is the level of expertise the nursing staff has at symptom or pain management. Although pain management is a term widely associated with keeping cancer patients comfortable, it is equally important to those dealing with other illnesses.
The nursing team of Catholic Community Hospice, unlike almost any other hospice in the metro, is certified in both hospice and palliative care. That means they have received special training in how to keep their patients comfortable and able to enjoy as high a quality of life as possible.
Compatible philosophy
Finally, the fact that Catholic Community Hospice is the only Catholic faith-based hospice in the metro should be an important consideration for prospective patients. Especially in the final months of life, Catholic patients often prefer to be cared for by people familiar with their lifelong beliefs, and by a staff that works closely with other Catholic agencies to ensure both medical and spiritual care in keeping with what the church teaches.
But many people of other faiths are attracted to Catholic Community Hospice as well. Many hospices stress spirituality and a holistic approach to medicine without any reference to God. Surveys show, however, that the vast majority of Americans consider their relationship with God critical, and at no time more so than in their final days.
Catholic Community Hospice professionals respect the faith of their patients, whatever it may be, and help their patients work not only toward peace and reconciliation within that faith tradition, but also with those loved ones they'll be leaving behind.
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Although a hospice admission often starts with a referral by a physician, it doesn't have to. In fact, physicians are often reluctant to refer patients to hospice for fear of looking as if they are ìgiving upî on a patient.
Although the medical community is slowly learning the importance of straight talk in terms of end-of-life issues, it is still true that most patients are eligible for hospice services long before they initiate services.
If you think you or your loved one, therefore, might now or sometime in the future be eligible for hospice, do not delay. Call Catholic Community Hospice direct at 913-621-5090 in Kansas or 816-523-5634 in Missouri . It's often possible to learn a great deal about a patient's eligibility for hospice in a single phone call.
You can also request an informational visit, for which a member of our staff will come to your home and assess the patient's eligibility free of charge.
Some people prefer to consult with their physician before looking into hospice. In that case, don't be surprised to find your doctor relieved when you bring up the topic ó sometimes physicians are just waiting for an opening to initiate this difficult discussion.
But even if your doctor says that there's no reason yet to be considering hospice, it's possible he'll want you or your loved one to receive some palliative care as other curative treatments are pursued.
Catholic Community Hospice is part of a group of health care services that includes a palliative care division, a Home Health agency that provides on-site care to patients who are expected to recover, but are experiencing debilitating symptoms in the meantime. Like Catholic Community Hospice nurses, the palliative care nurses are trained and are experts at enhancing the patient's quality of life with their quality of care.
Whether you're interested in more information on hospice or on palliative care, help is only a phone call away. If your doctor is not totally familiar with the wide range of services offered by either our hospice or palliative care division, please have him call us at either of the above numbers for more information, or use the ìcontact usî button at the top of the page.
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There are many sources of additional information on hospice. Of course your doctor is one place to start, as is Catholic Community Hospice.
But additional information is available at local libraries as well as on the Internet.
The following books might be particularly helpful to those considering hospice, and are widely available:
- Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying, by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley
- The Hospice Choice: In Pursuit of a Peaceful Death, by Marcia E.Lattanzi-Licht
- The Good Death: The New American Search to Reshape the End of Life, by Marilyn Webb
- The Handbook of Hospice Care, by Robert Buckingham
- The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide, by Larry Beresford
- Final Choices: To Live or to Die in an Age of Medical Technology, by George M. Burnell
There are also numerous Web sites providing information about hospice, to which links are provided below. Among the best is the Web site of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association ( www.nhpco.org ), of which Catholic Community Hospice is a member.
Other useful sites include:
www.hospicenet.org
www.hospicefoundation.org
www.americanhospice.org
www.hospiceweb.com
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Bereavement Groups
Below you will find information about upcoming bereavement support groups that will be conducted. These groups provide an opportunity to educate you on the grief process as well as find support and encouragement from people who care. If you plan on attending any of these groups please call the respective parish office as soon as possible to reserve your place.
6 Week Grief Groups
Catholic Community Hospice is pleased to offer grief support groups as a free public service to anyone who has experienced a loss by death of a loved one. The purpose of these groups is to provide the bereaved a safe environment where they can share their feelings with other people who also are grieving. We believe that strength comes from connecting with other people in like circumstances. In addition the grief process is explored to help normalize the experience of the griever. The course is anchored on the principle that God is the source of all comfort and that He will be with and provide healing for those who have experienced loss.
6 Week Grief Groups
Groups are limited in size and participants are encouraged to call and register in advance. If you have questions feel free to contact913-433-2016
Seminars
These programs focus on a particular topic related to grief and are designed to be primarily informational.
Calendar of Events
Six Week Support Group
Jan 10-Feb. 14 (Thursdays)
7:00-8:30pm
Prince of Peace Parish (lower level)
16000 W. 143 rd St .
Olathe , Ks.
Seminars
Who am I now that my spouse is gone?
This seminar focuses on you, maybe you have forgotten who
that person is after caring for a spouse who was ill. Discover purpose
and hope and a reason to move forward.
Feb. 27 6:30-8pm
Catholic Charities
9720 W. 87 th St .
Overland Park , KS
The Forgiveness Factor
Often in our grief we are confronted with hurts from people who were supposed to love and care for us but failed to do so. Whether the person who hurt you is living or dead you will discover that you are holding the keys to the prison door that has confined you and you can be free.
Feb. 20 th 6:30-8pm
Catholic Charities
W. 87 th St .
Overland Park , KS
Healing the Heart
Experience a healthy outlay for expressing your grief through expressive art and color. Emphasis is given to the process rather than the product, you will find a safe space for processing life's stressors and difficult events.
Every Monday night starting January 7 th Suggested donation of $20.00 to cover materials. Call 913.621.5090 to register.
Create a Scrapbook in Memory of your loved one.
Bring 12-24 of your favorite snapshots and, together with others who have lost a loved one, we will capture the comfort of happy memories with photo journaling. Cost will range between $20-30 depending on project.
Meets every 2 nd and 4 th Thursday evening from 7-9pm (beginning Jan 10 th )
Call 913.621.5090 to register.
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th of May. Her full-time job is on-call nurse during the week for all of our patients. Due to several nurses being out due to illness in May Kathy graciously agreed to also work during the daytime hours and make patient visits. Kathy is a very compassionate and caring nurse to all the patients she sees. Thank you Kathy.