1. CHP Hospice is open and available where you are.
CHP Hospice began as an in-home service back in 1985 and we still provide care for patients primarily in their homes. We are first and foremost a home care agency. Hospice can also take place in an institutional setting like our inpatient hospice center or in a number of local nursing homes throughout northwest or west central Ohio. CHP’s Defiance Area Inpatient Hospice Center hosts patients for acute pain management, residential care, or short-term respite stays so that their caregivers — usually family — can catch their breath and get a little time freed up.
2. Hospice isn’t about ‘giving up’ – it can extend your life.
Hospice is often associated with ideas of giving up or surrendering to death.
Statistics show otherwise. Studies published in 2007 by the New England Journal of Medicine and in 2016 by the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found that patients receiving palliative care or hospice services lived 30 to 60 days longer than those with similar terminal diagnoses following standard medical treatment.
3. You can leave hospice care at any time.
And in fact, 1 in 6 people who get on hospice care improve to a point where they “graduate” and can leave hospice care for more curative measures. Don’t think about hospice services as a one-way street. It is there to help you or someone you love with a terminal condition when the focus needs to be on patient-centered holistic care.
4. Hospice helps both patient and family.
Hospice nurses and practitioners teach the family the basics of how to take care of the needs of their dying loved one. As a person begins faces the end of life, their behavior may change. This can include physical activity, appetite, and speaking in ways that may be symbolic or indirect. CHP Hospice nurses recognize these signs and help you understand what’s happening and what it may mean. Hospice even continues after a person’s death through bereavement services to family.
5. CHP needs hospice volunteers.
Often, family members who’ve been impacted by hospice make great volunteers and can comfort other families in similar ways they were comforted. But anyone with a caring spirit can be a hospice volunteer. The most important skills needed are listening and a willingness to simply be there to support patients and families.
CHP provides training for individuals to be certified as hospice volunteers. Training sessions are scheduled based on need. Call any of our offices to learn more about volunteer opportunities.