As family members struggle with terminal illnesses, making the difficult yet necessary decision to bring hospice services into the home is often extremely hard. Hospice care offers comprehensive medical, emotional, and spiritual support focused solely on comfort and quality of life when a cure is no longer an option.

Home hospice enables your loved one to spend the final months in familiar surroundings, with family nearby and away from cold, impersonal places like hospitals and care centers. An interdisciplinary hospice team offers tailored services and 24/7 availability while giving primary caregivers some respite and support.

As you navigate this transitional period, selecting an ideal home hospice provider is crucial. Not all hospices offer equal services in terms of quality of service delivery, staffing levels, extra offerings, or philosophy of care - this decision could have a profound effect on both your loved one's final days as well as on your family's experience during your loved one’s final days, which is a tough time, no matter what.

Here are a few key factors you should keep in mind when reviewing and comparing home hospice options:

Accreditation and Ratings

One of the initial criteria to look out for when researching hospice agencies is accreditation from national organizations like the Joint Commission, Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP), or Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), with strong performance ratings derived from family surveys and regulatory inspections. Such accreditation requires strict adherence to high standards of care.

Each hospice operates with their own set of values and philosophy for how care is delivered, which influences everything from their approach to symptom management, emotional support, family involvement and respect for patient autonomy. You should try to find one whose philosophy and values align with both your loved one's needs and personal beliefs.

Staffing and Response Times

Evaluate typical caseload sizes and staffing ratios of hospice teams, particularly for night and weekend coverage. Around-the-clock availability of nurses and staff with reasonable response times for in-home visits becomes even more essential as your loved one nears end-of-life when care needs intensify.

Experience in Addressing Advanced Diseases

Some hospices specialize in caring for individuals living with advanced illnesses like cancer, dementia, neurological disorders, or end-stage organ diseases. Others have specialists on their staff who have years of experience caring for patients with certain conditions. When their expertise matches up perfectly with your situation, symptom management and care delivery often become significantly improved.

Comprehensive Hospice Support Services

Quality hospice programs should offer comprehensive support services that include access to physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, counselors, and trained volunteers - providing comprehensive comfort and holistic care.

Psychosocial Support

Access to psychosocial services such as emotional counseling, spiritual care, grief support sessions, and support groups can provide vital help in coping with life transitions for both the patient and their family.

Veteran and Cultural Accommodations

If your loved one holds particular cultural beliefs or traditions or has served in the military, look for hospice providers trained in providing culturally sensitive care that acknowledges these aspects of death and dying.

Communication and Family Involvement

Establishing a partnership with hospice staff requires regular communication through meetings and medical updates. You should expect full family participation in care planning and decision-making according to your loved one's wishes; an understanding hospice will make every effort to fully comprehend your family needs and dynamics.

Cost and Billing Transparency

Hospice providers who accept Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance should clearly outline any out-of-pocket expenses or copays with complete billing transparency. Likewise, if self-paying they should provide transparent pricing information on their hospice package as well as any additional services provided.

Once you've narrowed down your options, schedule a visit or make a phone call to each hospice agency in consideration. How do you feel when you interact with the agency? Are you able to get information you need in a timely manner? Do you feel important and seen?

Home hospice can be difficult, but by conducting thorough due diligence you can be confident that the compassionate team supporting both of you is in safe hands.

Here at Coastal, we believe that we meet all the qualifications of being a top-notch hospice provider for patients in Curry County, Oregon, and our years of rewards and patient testimonials also reflect this. We would love to speak with you and answer any questions you have about the hospice experience. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 541-469-0405.