Most people don’t think much about hospice, and if they do, it’s easy to assume that all hospices are the same. In most places, there are multiple hospice providers to choose from. When the time comes to decide, families are usually in the middle of a health care crisis that makes researching the options difficult.
So, what are some key questions to ask about hospice providers ahead of time?
1. How long has the hospice been in operation? Hospices come and go in some communities. You want to be sure you’re not signing up with one that’s been around a few months or even a year. Established hospices like Community Health Professionals (CHP) are more stable, and more people can tell you about them. The physician you’re working with may have heard about their reputations. CHP Home Care & Hospice was established in 1975 to provide compassionate nursing care and support to patients and their families.
2. What are their response times? Is staff available on weekends and on evenings and how soon can you get here in an urgent situation? It’s a fair question to ask. Some agencies serving your area are located an hour or more away. CHP Hospice has several locations throughout Northwest Ohio, is involved and dedicated to the community, and has local nurses on-call 24/7. “Patients and families are more at ease when they can connect to a hospice nurse or staff member that lives locally,” said Krista Steiner, RN, Hospice Coordinator for CHP Hospice. “You know some of the same people, and often we have cared for multiple family members. It connects you to them and they feel safer.”
3. How qualified are the nurses at pain and symptom management? CHP Hospice nurses are specially trained, with proven competence in end-of-life care and symptom management.
4. Does the hospice offer a continuum of care? Meaning, do they follow a patient from home to a nursing facility, assisted living, or inpatient setting. CHP Hospice can assist patients in any setting they call home.
5. Do you have an inpatient facility, if my symptoms become complicated or I don’t want to do this at home? Most hospices don’t have their own facilities; they rent or manage a unit in a hospital or in a nursing home. CHP operates stand-alone inpatient hospice centers in Defiance and Van Wert that can manage symptoms when they’re not manageable at home and provide respite stays to give family caregivers a break.
6. Is the hospice agency for-profit or non-profit? This makes a difference because a nonprofit agency like CHP works with all families regardless of financial situation. CHP holds local fundraising events to help cover the cost of some services, like particular medications, for example, that may not be covered by Medicare or insurance benefits.
7. How do they help the family both in hospice after the death? CHP Hospice nurses educate and explain to the family what\’s happening with their loved one in terms they understand. When families need a break, Medicare covers up to five days of respite care in a CHP inpatient hospice center. Bereavement care is offered for up to 13 months following the death of a loved one through mailings, individual and group grief support. CHP also provides a grief-support summer camp for kids called, Rays of Hope, where children who have lost a loved one can find healing and encouragement.
“It will be difficult for patients or families to undertake this research if they’ve waited until a few days before death,” Steiner says. “This is another reason to consider hospice early.”
To learn more about hospice services available locally, call or stop by your local CHP Home Care & Hospice or visit our website www.ComHealthPro.org