Hospice

Eligibility

Patients are eligible for hospice care when a physician makes a clinical determination that life expectancy is six months or less if the terminal illness runs its normal course. The patient must be under a physician’s care; admission to the program requires a physician’s order.  Eligible diagnoses include, but are not limited to:

  • ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Cancer
  • Coma
  • Congestive Heart Failure (“CHF”)
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (“COPD”)
  • Dementia
  • Heart Disease
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Kidney Disease
  • Liver Disorders
  • Lung Disease
  • Neurological Diseases
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Respiratory Disorders
  • Stroke

Support

Helping you transition through this difficult time is very important to us.

Caring for Someone

We understand that being a caregiver is difficult. In fact, many caregivers look into hospice care because they need help and support. The earlier a patient and family get hospice care, the greater the benefits.
Many caregivers are hesitant to call hospice because they think it means they have given up on their loved one. Calling hospice doesn't mean you have given up, it simply means that you have taken a step towards taking control of their illness. It means that you want to treat the pain and symptoms so that your loved one can enjoy their life. Hospice care helps ill family members maintain a good quality of life without sacrificing the medical care that they receive.

Living with an Illness

At ProHealth Hospice, we provide comfort and restore peace to the lives of our patients. We focus on easing pain, controlling symptoms, and reducing the effects of illness so you can focus on living. We also know that every individual has unique needs, wishes, and hopes so we look for the uniqueness in every person we care for. With your guidance, we’ll create a plan of care that works for you and your family.

Spritual Support

ProHealth Hospice is committed to providing spiritual care for those with a life-limiting illness and their families. Whether it is through counseling, prayer or even reconnecting to your faith, the goal of volunteer clergy is to be sensitive to your individual spiritual needs and meet you exactly where you are.

ProHealth Hospice is not affiliated with any religious group. We respect all traditions and cultural diversity of our patients.

Bereavement

Bereavement care is an essential component of hospice care that includes anticipating grief reactions and providing ongoing support for the bereaved over a period of 13 months. 

Bereavement is the period of grief and mourning after a death. When you grieve, it's part of the normal process of reacting to a loss. You may experience grief as a mental, physical, social or emotional reaction. Mental reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness and despair. Physical reactions can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems or illness.

Grief is a normal and expected reaction to loss. The grieving process is individualized; there is no right or wrong way to grieve.  Each person grieves in their own way. The first year of bereavement is the most difficult as the bereaved experiences the “year of firsts” such as first birthday, first holiday, first anniversary, etc. without their loved one

How long bereavement lasts can depend on how close you were to the person who died, if the person's death was expected and other factors. Friends, family and faith may be sources of support. Grief counseling or grief therapy is also helpful to some people.

Each of us takes their own journey through grief and healing. Allow yourself to open up to the idea that not every person experiences and deals with the loss of a loved one in the same way. As there are many cultural and or religious practices supported in communities to help those facing loss, understand that there is no “one way” or “one plan” that can work for everybody.

Our bereavement program focuses on:

  • Helping family members understand and move forward in the grief process by facilitating their expression of thoughts and feelings and helping them identify or develop and utilize healthy coping strategies
  • Helping families problem-solve around adjustment issues
  • Providing guidance about decision making
  • Addressing social and spiritual concerns
  • Assisting survivors to adapt to an environment without the deceased while experiencing a continued (transformed) relationship with the deceased.

Payment

Hospice care is covered by most insurance plans including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. If insurance coverage is not available or is insufficient, the patient and the family can elect to pay for services out of pocket.

Have a Question?