Page 41 - Healthcare News July/August 2022

All About Hospice
It’s Not About Dying, but Finding Peace and Meaning HBy Hospice of the Fisher Home
“Most insurance plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private plans, cover the medical services associated with hospice home care. For those who stay in a hospice residence or facility, there
is usually a room and board fee, which is not covered by most insurance plans, although it is partially covered by many long-term care plans. Another alternative to a hospice facility or home care is a skilled-nursing facility, which can be covered by Medicaid.”
ospice is a specialized type of comprehensive and compassionate care for the terminally ill and their loved ones. Hospice is not about dy-
ing. Rather, hospice affirms life, neither hastening nor postponing death. The goal is to provide patients with the comfort and symptom management that will help them find peace and meaning in the final months and weeks of their lives.
Most insurance plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private plans, cover the medical services associated with hospice home care. For those who stay in a hospice residence or facility, there is usually
a room and board fee, which is not covered by most insurance plans, although it is partially covered by many long-term care plans. Another alternative to a hospice facility or home care is a skilled-nursing facility, which can be covered by Medicaid.
When it’s time to focus on helping a person live
as fully and comfortably as possible, rather than on curing a disease, it’s time to consider hospice. Anyone with a life expectancy of six months or fewer is eligible to choose hospice. Care can be provided for as long as the person’s doctor and hospice care team certify that the condition remains life-limiting. Enrolling in hospice care early helps patients live more comfortably and, in some cases, live longer.
Our organization, the Hospice of the Fisher Home, is an independent nonprofit in Amherst providing quality hospice care to people at the end of life. As the only
hospice residence in Western Mass., we are a nine-bed home providing round-the-clock care. Individuals in the end-of-life stages can be cared for in the residence, a nursing facility, or in their own homes.
counselors meet frequently with patients and their loved ones to guide them through the emotional and social challenges that often accompany the end of
life. The team can assist with social, emotional, and financial issues and can connect families with other community resources. Volunteers can offer support in various ways to patients and families receiving hospice benefits. Everyone on the team has specialized hospice training and a deep dedication to helping patients
The hospice’s clinical staff is a multi-disciplinary
team that includes a medical doctor, registered hospice
nurses, certified nursing assistants, a social worker, a
volunteer coordinator, and spiritual and bereavement
counselors. The nurses and nursing assistants, available
24 hours a day, are experts in comfort care and use
the latest methods of pain and symptom management
to enable patients to live as fully and comfortably as
possible. Hospice
and their families experience peace, comfort, and moments of joy.
Social workers and spiritual and bereavement
Continued on page 46
Compassionate
Care for All
Pioneer Valley
Compassionate Care for All
An Independent Non-Profit Hospice Program
Providing expert end-of-life care to address patients physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs as well as the needs of their loved ones.
To learn more about us and our upcoming fundraisers, grief groups, and to join our mailing list, visit www.fisherhome.org.
on-profit hospice program
A unique hospice model in the
A unique hospice model in the Pioneer Valley
ife care to address patients physical, social,
Call Today! 413-549-0115
An independent non-profit hos
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