Hospice Services

The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc.

Facing a life-limiting illness can be devastating - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When a patient has made the choice to forgo aggressive or life-extending treatment for a progressive or incurable illness, and desires pain management or symptom control, the Hospice Home Care Program of The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. may be a suitable choice.

Hospice services are provided on a scheduled basis by the Hospice Team, which includes the patient's own physician and/or the Hospice Medical Director, nurses, social workers, spiritual care counselors, home health aides, and trained community volunteers. Emergency Care is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Hospice is always a phone call away.

Hospices Offers

• Skilled, compassionate care from Hospice Nurses and Home Health Aides making intermittent in-home visits.
• Management of pain and other physical symptoms through the appropriate use of medications and teachings.
• Training, advising and skill-building for those persons who will assist in providing patient care in the home.
• Emotional support and spiritual counseling for the patient and family.
• Social work/family support services.
• Physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
• Companionship and household assistance visits provided by dedicated, trained volunteers.
• Bereavement services are available to families for up to 13 months after Hospice services are no longer needed. Additional services are available on an ongoing basis.

Eligibility

Admission into the hospice program is made without regard to age, gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, diagnosis or ability to pay for services. No one is ever turned away due to the inability to pay. However, certain criteria must be met prior to receiving services:

• The patient must have a progressive or incurable illness and a limited life expectancy.
• Patients with both cancer and non-cancer illnesses are appropriate.
• The patient's personal physician must agree to continue managing the patient's care, or the patient may choose the Hospice Medical Director as their attending physician.
• The attending physician must certify that the patient's terminal illness carries a life expectancy of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course.

The patient must be living in our service area, which includes St. Joseph, Marshall, Elkhart, Fulton, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte and Starke Counties in Indiana.