Skilled Nursing
Skilled Nursing services are provided by either a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse. The nurses confer with your physician often to report your condition and update your plan of care. Services may include evaluation of patient’s needs, performance skilled nursing procedures, and education of patients and or care givers relative to the disease process, Self-care techniques and prevention strategies to improve your condition.
Therapy Services
Therapy services offered include Physical, Occupational and Speech Pathology. The primary function of the therapist is to provide therapy services specific to your need and as prescribed by a physician that can be safely provided in the home. Your therapist will provide specific information about the services and treatments you will receive.
Medical Social Worker
- • Performs emotional, spiritual and bereavement assessments
- • Assessments of patient/family needs and counseling as required. to promote inter agency
- • Provides short term crisis intervention and individual or family counseling when indicated
- • Active role of advocate for the patient/family unit
- • Develops and maintains contact with appropriate community agencies and services in order to promote inter agency cooperation and to facilitate related referrals.
- • Provides ongoing counseling related to issues of death and dying to the patient and family as needed.
Spiritual Counselor/Bereavement
- • Provide direct spiritual support and/or counsel to patients/families in keeping with patient’s/families’ belief.
- • Provide bereavement follow up services as assigned
- • Make contact with clergy or appropriate representatives of patients/families as needed
- • Perform occasional liturgical assignments, e.g. memorial services with staff
- • Conduct or make arrangements for funeral or memorial services when indicated.
- • Arrange for on-call availability of spiritual services
- • Oversee adequacy and appropriateness of bereavement programs for patient and family members
- • Develop new bereavement programs and services as needed.
- • Educational programs and materials for patients/families, regarding loss, grief, and coping with bereavement.
Home Health Aide Services
Some, but not all, insurance companies will provide aide services for beneficiaries. These companies usually follow Medicare guidelines for aide services. They provider aide services. The primary function of the hospice aide is to provide personal care. At each visit, the aide will complete the assigned activities. A nurse will supervise the aide as dictated by law or as you request depending on the pay source.
- • Assistance with or giving a bath
- • Dressing
- • Hair care (not cutting)
- • Oral hygiene
- • Shaving
- • Transfers and ambulation
- • Assistance with light meal preparation to meet nutritional needs
- • Maintaining a clean and safe bedside and bath area
- • Exercises
Volunteers
- • Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones including running errands, preparing light meals, staying with a patient to give family members a break, and lending emotional support and companionship to patients and family members.
- • Because hospice volunteers spend time in patients’ and families’ homes, each hospice program generally has an application and interview process to assure the person is right for this type of volunteer work. In addition, hospice programs have an organized training program for their patient care volunteers. Areas covered by these training programs often include understanding hospice, confidentiality, working with families, listening skills, signs and symptoms of approaching death, loss and grief and bereavement support.