At Advocate Hospice, we believe in making every day count. That's why our hospice teams do everything they can to help their patients, and their patients' families and caregivers when they need it most.
What is hospice?
Hospice is a program designed specifically for people who have chosen to change the plan of care for a terminal illness from aggressive medical treatment, focused on curing an illness, to palliative care - care that manages pain and symptoms so patients can make the most of every day. Hospice doesn't focus on dying, but on living well and with dignity during the time that is left.
Why choose hospice?
The reasons for choosing hospice services and care vary, but one result never varies: In every case, what comforts patients and families most is knowing they can make each day count.
At Advocate Hospice, we believe our patients and their families have the right to choose how to live each day of the rest of their life while facing a life-limiting illness. Through this belief:
- We acknowledge that each patient's unique beliefs and values should guide how we deliver comfort and care.
- We teach patients and families that choices available through hospice care can improve the quality of their time together.
- We strive to minimize anxiety, pain, fear and stress.
- We will always preserve patient dignity.
Your hospice team will prepare you for everything that is likely to happen, and will help you understand how to use community and financial resources to your best advantage.
What if more care is needed outside of the home?
While most hospice services are provided in the home, sometimes patients are temporarily moved to a hospital setting where a patient's pain or symptoms can be more easily managed by hospice staff.
While most hospice services are provided in the home, sometimes symptoms like severe pain or severe vomiting require a short hospital stay. During these times of crisis, we offer the Hospice Inpatient Program to help you get your loved one to a place that all agree is best for them. Our program begins at the hospital where the Advocte Hospice team provides you and your loved one with a dedicated team of nurses, social workers, physicians, chaplains and others to help guide you through this difficult time.
If a hospital stay is no longer required, but extra clinical support is still needed, we can provide care in a long-term care facility. To make this transition easier, we've developed a network of long-term care facilities that offer reserved beds in a special unit staffed by those with end-of-life care training.
While our program guides patients between the hospital, the long-term care facility and home as needed, one constant remains the same - a dedicated Advocate Hospice team.
When receiving day-to-day care in an Advocate hospital or a partner long-term care facility, Advocate Hospice provides extra services and staff like:
- Daily visits by a hospice physician who can consult with your physician as a symptom and pain management specialist
- Daily visits by the hospice nurse who helps coordiate your care
- A hospice social worker who assists in coordinating community services
- Daily visits by a hospice aid who provides comfort measures and personal care services like bathing, hair washing and setting, and reading to the patient
- Emotional and bereavement support
- 24-hour visitation
Your hospice team can also provide respite care so that caregivers can have a little time away from the day-to-day requirements of caring for a loved one in hospice care. The patient can be placed in a nursing home for a predetermined number of days while continuing to receive care from the hospice team.