Hospice Care
Respecting Life to the Fullest
Preceptor Hospice professionals are dedicated and devoted to honoring and supporting every individual’s journey with love, care, and tenderness. In these challenging moments it is important to know you have an option that can help your loved one get the most out of life and live as fully and as comfortably as possible.
Our hospice care is centered around the entire family. We provide a team that focuses on individual care while offering your family all the support and help that is needed. Preceptor Home Health & Hospice believes that every moment matters. Our hospice program is designed to help make the most of each day and help provide the support your family needs at this time.
Levels of Care
With 4 available options, the appropriate care is always within reach.
Routine: This is the most common level of care and is provided in the home when there is no medical crisis. This care is provided by nurses, aides, chaplains, and social workers several times a week. We schedule care based on the individual needs of the patient. We have nurses working 24/7 to provide care and answer questions, so peace of mind is never more than a phone call away.
Respite: Caring for a loved one can take a physical and emotional toll on the caregiver. Under this level of care, your loved one can spend up to 5 days at a skilled nursing facility that is fully staffed to provide care. This is covered under the hospice benefit and is meant to ease caregiver burden while providing peace of mind that your loved one is being well cared for.
Continuous: If a patient’s symptoms are not being comfortably managed under routine care, continuous care is an option where care can be provided for hours at a time. Most families will not need this type of care because of the special training provided to Preceptor staff for end of life care, but it is here for those times when extra support is needed.
General Inpatient: This is least commonly used level of care and is for when a patient’s symptoms are no longer manageable in the home setting. A patient can be placed in a skilled nursing facility or hospital until their symptoms are managed and they are stable enough to return to the comfort of their own home.
Bereavement Fund
Through the generosity of past patients and families, financial assistance and Cherished Moments are possible.
Become a Hospice Volunteer
Preceptor Hospice is looking for people who have a passion for caring for others and wish to volunteer their services to our hospice patients. If you would like to make a difference by providing life-changing service, please call us at (262) 293-3951, email us at care@preceptorhc.com, or complete the short application on the Volunteer page.
Hospice Myths Answered
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Hospice is where you go when there is nothing more a doctor can do. | Hospice is care designed for patients with a life-limiting illness. Hospice is not a place, rather hospice professionals are trained to assist patients in their own home to be able to live their lives fully, completely, and without pain until the end of their journey. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| If I sign on to hospice that means I am dying soon. | Receiving hospice care does not mean giving up hope or that death is imminent. The earlier an individual receives hospice care, the more opportunity there is to stabilize a patient’s medical condition and address other needs. Patients live on average one month longer on hospice care. Families often remark that they wish they had asked for hospice care much sooner. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Hospice means giving up hope. | When faced with a terminal illness, many patients and loved ones tend to dwell on the imminent loss of life rather than on making the most of the life that remains. Hospice helps patients reclaim the spirit of life. It helps them understand that even though death can lead to sadness, anger, and pain, it can also lead to opportunities for reminiscence, laughter, reunion, and hope. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Quality care at the end of life is very expensive. | Medicare beneficiaries pay little or nothing for hospice. For those ineligible for Medicare, most insurance plans, HMO’s, and managed care plans cover hospice care. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| To qualify for hospice, I have to have cancer. | Hospice is not just for people with cancer. Patients suffering recent deterioration, frequent emergency room visits and hospitalizations, or suspending aggressive treatment may also be eligible for hospice care. Our services benefit patients with a number of different diagnoses, including: End-Stage Cardiovascular Disease, Stroke, Congestive Heart Failure, Pulmonary Disease (COPD), End-Stage Renal Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, End-Stage Liver Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, AIDS, and ALS. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Hospice is just for the elderly. | Hospice can be for anyone seeking comfort during their end of life journey, regardless of age. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Hospice patients must give up their doctor. | Hospice reinforces the patient primary care physician relationship by advocating either office or home visits, according to the physician’s preference. Hospices work closely with the primary care physician and consider the continuation of the patient physician relationship to be of the highest priority. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Hospice provides in-home companion care 24-hours day / 7-days a week. | Hospice programs do not provide round-the-clock companion services. Patients receive a team dedicated to their care that include nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers, and the hospice team will routinely visit the patient and are accessible by phone 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| I have to be a DNR to receive hospice care. | This is not a requirement for Preceptor Hospice. |
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| After the patient’s death, hospice care ends. | Bereavement services and grief support are available to family members for 13 months after the death of a patient. |
