What is Hospice Care?
Hospice care helps you make the most of precious time. When you or a loved one has an incurable illness and no longer wants treatments to prolong life, hospice care delivers comfort, support and understanding.
Our hospice team focuses on alleviating pain and symptoms for the best possible quality of life. We help patients and family members understand what to expect at the end of life and manage the emotional and spiritual aspects of dying.
Choosing hospice care isn’t giving up on life. Hospice ensures that your end-of-life wishes are aligned with your values and priorities. You receive compassionate care with dignity.
Hospice services include:
- Pain and symptom management
- 24-hour on-call service
- Medical supplies, equipment and medications related to the terminal illness
- Training for caregivers on how to care for the patient
- Short-term inpatient care when symptoms become unmanageable at home or when caregivers need respite
- Spiritual care and emotional support
- Volunteer services
- Grief counseling and extensive lending library of grief-related resources
Types of Hospice Care
Each person in hospice receives a personalized care plan. Your dedicated care team includes a doctor, nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain, pharmacist, dietitian and specially trained volunteer. Therapists (physical, occupational and speech) may provide care as needed. Your personal physician can also be involved. Types of hospice care include:
- In-home (routine) care: Most people receive hospice care wherever they call home: personal residence, assisted living facility or skilled nursing facility. If at a personal residence, the day-to-day care is usually provided by family members, friends or paid home-health aides. We provide all necessary training and supplies for the in-home caregivers to feel confident in caring for their loved one. Our staff is available for emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- General inpatient care: When pain and symptoms become too much to manage at home, patients can receive short-term care at our 11-bed Hospice House. In our state-of-the-art facility, we strive to control symptoms so patients can return home.
- Respite care: When in-home caregivers need a break, patients can stay at the FirstHealth Hospice House for up to five nights.
- Continuous home care: If a patient receiving in-home hospice care has a significant medical crisis, he or she may qualify to receive continuous care (defined as 8 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period) at home. This type of hospice care is rare.
FirstHealth Hospice House
FirstHealth Hospice House serves patients who need more medical care than can be provided at home or whose caregivers need a break. Set on 30 beautiful acres, the Hospice House and campus feature:
- 11 private, home-like rooms that open to a natural landscape
- Overnight accommodations in the patient’s room for up to two loved ones
- State-of-the-art medical technology
- Solace rooms
- Children's play area
- Family kitchen and dining area
- Dog therapy
- Interfaith chapel and spiritual support
- Picturesque lake, stunning gardens and a full-scale walking labyrinth for reflection
Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice
Who is eligible for hospice?
Hospice care is available for people with an estimated life expectancy of 6 months or less due to any serious illness, including cancer, heart failure or dementia. People may choose hospice care if no more treatments are available to cure or control their illness or if they no longer wish to continue treatment.
What if the patient in hospice care lives longer than 6 months?
It’s difficult for doctors to predict how long a person will live. Medicare will continue paying for hospice services for as long as a doctor certifies that the patient meets eligibility criteria. It’s also possible to leave hospice care and return later.
Who pays for hospice care?
We accept Medicare, Medicaid and all other third-party reimbursement. A social worker is available to work with families to apply for Medicaid or other funding sources.
At FirstHealth, hospice services are provided to anyone needing hospice care regardless of ability to pay. We do not discontinue or reduce services if someone becomes unable to pay.
What counties do you serve?
We provide in-home hospice care to people in these North Carolina counties: Moore County, Hoke County, Lee County, and Montgomery County. We also serve portions of Chatham County, Harnett County, and Richmond County. People from any county can come to the Hospice House.
How do I request hospice care?
Call us at (910) 715-6000 to talk with one of our helpful team members. You can also make your wishes known ahead of time by completing healthcare advance directive documents. These documents include a health care power of attorney and living will.
What is palliative care?
Also called “supportive care,” palliative care is for anyone with a serious illness, regardless of life expectancy. Palliative care works with – not replaces – the primary treatment plan. Patients can receive aggressive treatment and palliative care at the same time.
Other Hospice Questions
The FirstHealth Hospice Patient Education and Training book offers answers to most questions about hospice care. Call us at (910) 715-6000 with any questions.
Volunteer with FirstHealth Hospice
Hospice began in the late 1960s as a volunteer movement, and volunteers are still integral to its success. Our volunteers provide practical and emotional support for community members nearing the end of life.
Hospice volunteers assist patients with a variety of needs, including:
- Offering a quiet presence or social support
- Performing periodic safety checks
- Reading to patients
- Facilitating visits with therapy dogs
- Cutting up food
- Providing music or singing
- Encouraging time to share and reflect or reminiscence
As a hospice volunteer, a few hours of your time each week can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. For more information on volunteering, please call (910) 715-6000.
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