4102 Old Vestal Road, Vestal, NY 13850
Phone: 607-798-5692 • 800-659-2416
231 Main Street, Owego, NY 13827
Phone: 607-687-0682
A. Now is the best time to learn more about
hospice and ask questions about what to expect from hospice
services. Although end-of-life care may be difficult to
discuss, it is best for family members to share their wishes long
before it becomes a concern. This can greatly reduce stress
when the time for hospice is needed. By having these
discussions in advance, patients are not forced into uncomfortable
situations. Instead, patients can make an educated decision
that includes the advice and input of family members and loved
ones.
A. Typically, hospice care starts as soon as a
referral is made by the patient's doctor. A Lourdes Hospice
program representative will make an effort to visit the patient
within 48 hours of that referral, providing the visit meets the
needs and schedule of the patient and family/primary
caregiver. Usually, hospice care is ready to begin within a
day or two of the referral. However, in urgent situations,
hospice services may begin sooner.
A. Hospice care is available 'on-call' after
the administrative office has closed, seven days a week, 24 hours a
day. Lourdes Hospices has nurses available to respond to a
call for help within minutes, if necessary. Hospice also has
chaplains and social workers on call as well.
A. Many patients may have pain and other
serious symptoms as illness progresses. Our hospice staff
receives special training to care for all types of physical and
emotional symptoms that cause pain, discomfort, and distress.
Because keeping the patient comfortable and pain-free is an
important part of hospice care, there are ways to measure how
comfortable the patient is during the course of their stay in
hospice. Hospice staff works with the patient's physician to
make sure that medication, therapies, and procedures are designed
to achieve the goals outlined in the patient's care plan. The
care plan is reviewed frequently to make sure any changes and new
goals are in the plan.
A. Lourdes Hospice volunteers are available to
provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones
including running errands, preparing light meals, staying with a
patient to give family members a break, and lending emotional
support and companionship to patients and family members. Because
hospice volunteers spend time in patients' and families' homes,
Lourdes Hospice has an application and interview process. There is
an intensive training program for the volunteers. The
training program includes: understanding hospice, confidentiality,
working with families, listening skills, signs and symptoms of
approaching death, loss and grief and bereavement support.
A. Lourdes Hospice services can be provided to
a terminally ill person wherever he/she lives. This means a
patient living in a nursing facility or long-term care facility can
receive specialized visits from hospice nurses, home health aides,
chaplains, social workers, and volunteers, in addition to other
care and services provided by the nursing facility.
A. These patients may require a different place
to live during this phase of their life when they need extra care,
usually in a nursing home. However, care in nursing homes is
not covered under the Medicare or Medicaid Hospice Benefit.
It is best to find out, well before hospice may be needed, if
insurance or any other payer covers this type of care or if
patients/families will be responsible for payment.
A. Lourdes Hospice uses tools to let them see
how well they are doing in relation to quality hospice
standards. In addition, our program uses family satisfaction
surveys to get feedback on the performance of their programs.
To help our hospice program in making sure they give quality care
and service, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
has developed recommended standards entitled 'Standards of Practice
for Hospice Programs' as one way of ensuring quality. There
are also voluntary accreditation organizations that evaluate
hospice programs to protect consumers. These organizations
survey hospices to see whether they are providing care that meets
defined quality standards. These reviews consider the
customary practices of the hospice, such as policies and
procedures, medical records, personal records, evaluation studies,
and in many cases also include visits to patients and families
currently under care of that hospice program. Lourdes Hospice
is accredited by the Joint Commission as meeting these high
standards
A. Yes. There are state licensure
requirements that must be met by hospice programs in order for them
to deliver care. In addition, hospices must comply with
federal regulations in order to be approved for reimbursement under
Medicare. Hospices must periodically undergo inspection to be
sure they are meeting regulatory standards in order to maintain
their license to operate and the certification that permits
Medicare reimbursement.
