HOSPICE TEAM

Hospice care is a family-centered approach that includes, at a minimum, a team of doctors, nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, counselors, and trained volunteers. We work together to focus on the dying person's needs; physical, emotional, or spiritual. The goal is to help keep the person as pain-free as possible, with loved ones nearby until death. The hospice team develops a care plan that meets each person's individual needs for pain management and symptom control. The team is comprised of people from different practices.

• Medical Director (Hospice Physician)
• Nurses
• Social Worker
• Clergy or Other Counselors
• Hospice Aides
• Trained Volunteers
• Speech, Physical and Occupational Therapists (if needed)
• Patient's Personal Physician

It is important to find out what the role of the patient's primary doctor will be once the person begins receiving hospice care. Most often, a person can choose to have their personal doctor involved in the medical care. Both the physician and the hospice medical director may work together to coordinate the patient's medical care, especially when symptoms are difficult to manage. Regardless, a physician's involvement is important to ensure quality hospice care. The hospice medical director is also available to answer questions the patient or loved ones may have regarding hospice medical care.

In many cases, family members or loved ones are the patient's primary care givers. Hospice recognizes their special needs for support. As a relationship with the hospice begins, hospice staff will want to know how best to support the patient and family during this time.

Among its major responsibilities, the interdisciplinary team:

• Manages the patient's pain and symptoms
• Provides emotional support
• Provides needed medication, medical supplies and equipment
• Coaches loved ones on how to care for the patient
• Delivers special services like speech and physical therapy when needed
• Makes short-term, inpatient care available when pain or symptoms become too difficult to manage at home or the caregiver needs respite care
• Provides grief support to surviving loved ones and friends

Support can include conversations with the patient and family members, teaching care giving skills, prayer, telephone calls to loved ones, including family members who live at a distance and companionship and help from volunteers.

Counseling, or grief support, for the person and loved ones are an important part of hospice care. After the patient's death, bereavement support is offered to families for at least one year. These services can take a variety of forms, including telephone calls, visits, written materials about grieving, and support groups. Individual counseling may be offered by the hospice or the hospice may make a referral to a community resource.