Honoring Life
Hospice Services
What is Hospice?
Hospice is a program designed to provide comfort-based care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained, and family members may be active participants in care. Hospice care promotes comfort, support, and dignity in those with a terminal illness. Hospice care includes the management of the physical symptoms that go along with a terminal illness as well as incorporating emotional support and spiritual support for the patient and their loved ones. Hospice also provides counseling and bereavement support to families before and after the loss of a loved one.
When is the hospice care benefit appropriate?
A patient become appropriate for hospice care when a physician makes the decision that the patient has a 6 month or less prognosis. This means that all curative efforts have been exhausted and they are no longer effective treatments for the disease process that the patient is experiencing. It is ideal that patients start receiving hospice benefits sooner rather than later to be able to give the best quality of life.
What is the hospice benefit?
There is a Medicare and Medicaid hospice benefit that covers 100% of all needs that are necessary to provide the care that patients need to care for their diagnosis. The benefit covers items such as medications, medical equipment, supplies, and healthcare services.
*Private insurance and private pay are also an available option*
What Carefirst does to help?
Our services include skilled nurses, social workers, chaplains, aides, and volunteers. All of our clinicians work together as part of a team to be able to provide the exceptional care that our patients deserve. Our team is available to meet your needs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The different services that our clinicians provide include:
• Assessments & Observation
• Symptom management
• Education to patients and loved ones
• Emotional support
• Spiritual support
• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
• Assistance with activities of daily living
o Light housework, laundry, meal preparation
• Personal hygiene care
o Bathing, dressing, grooming
• Advanced directive and end-of-life planning
24/7 Support
Having hospice services means that you are never alone when caring for
your loved one. We have members of our team on call 24/7 to ensure that
needs are met, and you have our support when it is needed the most.
Is it time to consider Hospice?
Some of the common disease processes that we care for in hospice
includes end-stage kidney disease, congestive heart failure,
dementia/Alzheimer’s, cancer, stroke, COPD, parkinson’s disease, HIV,
and cirrhosis. This list is not all inclusive, if you feel that you or
your loved one is ready to talk about if you qualify for hospice
services, please reach out to our team for a consult.
Our Company
Carefirst was established as a home healthcare provider in 2011 and has rapidly grown to meet the needs of our southern Indiana community. We currently provide services in 12 different counties in southern Indiana including Scott, Jackson, Washington, Jefferson, Floyd, Harrison, Clark, Crawford, Orange, Perry, Bartholomew, and Jennings county. We proudly serve our patients in wherever it is that they call home, whether that is a residential home, a skilled nursing facility, an assisted living facility, or a long-term care facility. By adding hospice care to our company, we are able to continue to meet the needs of our patients as they approach the need for end-of-life care. The Carefirst team CARES about our patients.
Volunteer Information:
What it means to be a Hospice Volunteer:
Hospice volunteers provide support to patients and their loved ones either directly or indirectly. Hospice volunteers are in important part of our care team and play a valuable role in each patient’s life. Volunteering MINUTES of your time can make a BIG difference in someone’s life. .
How you can help
Direct patient care volunteering:
• Emotional Support
• Companionship
• Preparing Meals
• Running Errands
• Light Housework
• Bereavement Support
Indirect patient care volunteering:
• Working in the administrative office to help with assembling admission packets, filing, assisting with bereavement mailings.
Please contact us by phone, e-mail, or stop by our office if you are interested in becoming a Carefirst Hospice Volunteer.
