What is Hospice?
The time before someone moves from this life to the next should be filled with comfort and dignity, with their precious final days spent alongside those they love. Hospice services from Suncrest help make that possible – we bring this standard of care to the home, further increasing patient comfort and allowing people to remain surrounded by years of memories.
Hospice care is a specialized philosophy of care for those suffering from terminal illnesses. Rather than attempting to treat, delay, or halt the disease or condition inflicting the patient, hospice care services instead focus on treating the symptoms of disease progression to bring greater comfort. In addition, the plan of care doesn’t just address a person’s physical needs – hospice services ensure quality of life by also attending to their psychological, emotional and spiritual needs.
If you have a loved one with a chronic medical condition or debilitating illness, hospice services can greatly improve their end-of-life experience. And in most cases, the cost of hospice care at home is fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.
With a special focus on patient and family involvement, Suncrest is the hospice agency to trust. Our team of caring professionals is committed to providing an exceptional level of support to terminally ill patients, with each individual’s wants and needs as the driving force behind their care plan.
To address any care needs, the Suncrest team offers many different hospice services. We’re here to help your loved one in any way we can, and together, we’ll develop a plan of care that is centered on their goals and meets their specific needs. We’ll also be there to support the family, providing the information, guidance, comfort and care needed to make it through this difficult time. See below for more on our hospice services and how our team can customize care to your loved one. Give Suncrest a call today.
Physician Services
All hospice care is administered under the direction of a licensed physician.
Skilled Nursing Services
Each patient is assigned a qualified nurse who assesses and manages symptoms. All Suncrest nurses have manageable caseloads, ensuring they can provide your loved one with the highest quality of care.
Social Services
A social worker is assigned to each patient and family to provide support during this time.
Spiritual Services
Patients and families can receive regular visits from a spiritual advisor for support, comfort, and guidance.
Massage Therapy
The power of targeted pressure application can help resolve physical pain, emotional pain, edema, restlessness, stiffness, and skin integrity, while increasing overall comfort and easing the patient’s mind, body, and soul.
Medical Equipment, Medications and Supplies
Hospice care fully covers, but is not limited to, wheelchairs, mattress pads, and incontinence supplies.
Hospice Aide Services
Based on the patient’s care plan, they may receive daily visits from a certified nursing assistant for help with day-to-day activities.
Eligibility
An individual is eligible for hospice services with an order from a physician stating that they have a terminal diagnosis and are expected to have six months or less of life. With hospice services, a patient switches from actively fighting the disease to receiving support as it naturally progresses.
Hospice services may be received in the patient’s home or at the assisted living or skilled nursing facility where they are staying.
The Suncrest Care Team
The Suncrest team is dedicated to bringing hospice services that aid a patient in their final days directly to the patients. Our hospice care team consists of physicians, nurses, aides, social workers, therapists, and spiritual advisors. We are all committed to honoring the patient’s wishes in their final days, making them comfortable as they prepare to move on from this life and providing support to their family members.
Music therapy is an established allied health profession, and music therapists are Board Certified (MT–BC) by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) upon the completion of at least an undergraduate degree in music therapy or its equivalent, a clinical internship (averaging 1040 hours), and successfully passing the CBMT examination. In hospice care, music therapists use methods such as song writing, improvisation, guided imagery and music, lyric analysis, singing, instrument playing and music therapy relaxation techniques to treat the many needs of patients and families receiving care.
Pet therapy, also known as animal-assisted therapy, in the hospice setting uses the natural bond between humans and animals to provide comfort, peace, and soothing companionship to terminally ill patients.
Many patients who enter hospice have limited mobility or are entirely bedridden. Massage therapy relaxes the muscles and soft tissues, loosening the muscles and tendons to increase circulation. Improved circulation has a direct impact on pain management and can promote other benefits, such as reduced fatigue. Massage involves caring, safe touch — an invitation to relax, if you will. This, together with pain relief, produces a “relaxation response,” where the heart and breathing rates slow, blood pressure goes down, production of stress hormones decreases, and muscles relax.
Open Therapist Positions
*Music, animal, and massage therapy are not offered in every Suncrest location. Please contact your local Suncrest office more for more information.
A Suncrest Social Worker will help patients and their families navigate planning for end-of-life care; understand their treatment plan and be vocal about their needs; manage the stresses of debilitating physical illnesses, including emotional, familial and financial; overcome crisis situations; and connect to other support services. Social Workers are advocates for patients and their families, and know what their patient needs and what resources are available within and outside of hospice settings to help them.
A Suncrest Social Worker is compassionate, sympathetic, patient, and calm under pressure. In addition, they are good listeners. Whether they’re listening to the family or the patient, they’ll hear pain, tragedy, fear, and uncertainty in their voices and it’s their job to help them come to terms with the situation.
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A Suncrest Aide is the eyes, ears and hands of the hospice care team. Because they have significant personal contact with patients, they document and report physical and emotional needs to the team. Hospice aides are hands-on support to help with the tasks of daily living.
They performs a combination of light housekeeping and personal hygiene duties, including shopping, bathing, dressing, feeding, hair care and oral care for patients. They change linens, ensure patients are comfortable, and spend time talking and listening during bedside visits.
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During the end-of-life process, a hospice chaplain honors and nurtures a patient’s spiritual needs and helps facilitate sacred conversations. They are an important part of a hospice care team. Though their services are spiritual, they are a medical professional trained to work with patients in hospice care.
A Suncrest Chaplain is trained to listen
One of the greatest needs for patients and families who are facing the end of life journey is for someone who can listen without judgment to their concerns, fears and regrets.
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A Suncrest case manager is one of the most direct, hands-on nursing roles in a hospice organization. Hospice case managers oversee the direction and coordination of a patient’s care and the care provided for their caregivers and family throughout their time in hospice.
A Suncrest nurse will check vital signs, record any medical concerns or issues a patient has, and understands what all of these symptoms and signs mean for the patient. They also administer medications, bandage wounds, manage pain and other symptoms, and assist in the process of death with dignity.
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A Suncrest volunteer helps to provide the family with a much-needed break from caregiving duties and care for the patient. The help can be in doing light household cleaning, running errands, or direct patient care. They provide the patient and their family with a feeling of normality while providing both emotional and physical assistance, connecting with the patient and their family on a personal level. Since they can spend an extended amount of time with patients, volunteers can give the hospice care team valuable insight into the progression of the patient and level of comfort.
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Care to Fit Your Needs
At Suncrest Hospice, our staff is 100% dedicated to serving our patients in need of hospice care at home. Our job extends beyond working with patients as we assist their families and referring physicians, and our exceptional care results from a team effort with our care staff, patients, caregivers, and family.
