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VitalCare Hospice Caring Passionately VitalCare was founded as a nonprofit hospice program in 1982. From our humble beginnings in Cheboygan with one nurse and one social worker, our program has grown over the past quarter-century, and we have spread the good news of comfort and fullness of life through hospice. We now have a staff of 50 skilled, compassionate and dedicated individuals, and we serve communities from M-32 in Alpena and Gaylord to St. Mary’s River in Sault Saint Marie. We are still personal and passionate about hospice, because we know that |
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Hospice – A Different Kind Of Care When we cannot be cured, we still may have a great deal of life remaining. The objective is to live as long and well as possible. No one can say how long a person will live. And during the remainder of our lives, we need a different kind We need a model of care that will help us understand this stage of our lives, because it, too, is meant to be lived fully. And it, too, has lessons for us to experience and share. We need a model of care that will alleviate whatever symptoms we experience so that we can enjoy our lives. We need a model of care where nurses can spend extra time with us to answer our questions so that we are not concerned about the future, where pain and symptoms are eliminated and physical comfort is emphasized. We need a model of care that treats us and our family members, a model of care that understands that our worries about our family’s future has a genuine and legitimate impact on our frame of mind and our personal comfort at end of life. We need to know that they will be cared for when we die. We need a different model of care. Hospice Is That Different Model Of Care. Hospice care includes the following team of care providers. All patients have nurses who interact with physicians. Other levels of care are a matter of patient and family choice.
Hospice care is most frequently provided in the patient’s home, but can also be received by patients in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, or adult foster care homes Learning More About Hospice Q. Isn’t enrolling in hospice giving up? Research Shows That Hospice Patients Live Longer Q. What is the Medicare hospice benefit? Hospice aides may come to the home to assist with whatever needs the patient and family may have. They can bathe the patient and change bed linens. They can assist with personal care. Often, patients and family members are more comfortable having hospice aides assist with toileting and bathing than having family members provide this personal care. Hospice social workers listen to patient and family concerns and help families sort through issues. They are supportive members of the hospice team on whom family members rely. Hospice social workers can provide one-on-one therapeutic counseling, can help families connect with a variety of helpful resources, and can provide bereavement support and counseling for family members for more than a year after a patient’s death. Hospice social workers provide superb emotional support for families who take advantage of this benefit. If patients would like to speak with a spiritual counselor, their own pastor or a hospice chaplain can spend time with them and support them. These are purely personal preferences, and hospice facilitates their choice. Trained volunteers can help patients and families by running errands and by providing respite care, staying with patients while family members conduct their personal business. Sometimes, it’s nice for an elderly patient to have someone of their own generation simply visit with them for an afternoon. People of the same generation have many memories in common, and recalling these events brings pleasure to both parties and helps patients recall and ponder happy moments in their lives. The Medicare hospice benefit also covers any medications related to the terminal diagnosis, and any medical equipment that patients may require, such as oxygen or a hospital bed. Thirteen months of bereavement support for family members or caregivers is also part of the hospice benefit. Most commercial insurances, such as Blue Cross, provide a hospice benefit that is similar to Medicare’s benefit. If you do not have insurance and cannot afford to pay for hospice services, we will still provide you with hospice care. Q. Who is eligible for hospice? Q. Is hospice just for cancer patients? Q. Does everyone have pain at end of life? Q. Are there differences between hospice programs? Be sure to ask about the hospice experience level of a hospice program’s nursing staff. Hospice nursing is highly specialized, and nurses practicing in other settings or programs need to gain experience in hospice and pursue certification in order to be optimally effective. A good hospice program will team up seasoned hospice nurses with nurses new to hospice care while they are learning their new role. Q. Is it better to die in a hospital? Q. What if I get well? Do I have to stay in hospice? Q. Do I have to stay at home if I'm a hospice patient? Recently, our hospice team helped make a 90-year-old’s dream come true. He wanted to go hunting in the woods again. His hospice social worker packed a picnic lunch, the patient’s wheelchair, his oxygen and his favorite gun, and staff helped him dress warmly. She invited a hospice volunteer along to help, and she invited his grandson at the patient’s request. Then he told them the exact spot he wanted to be in, and that’s where they went for an afternoon. This gentleman relived all his good times in the woods, and his grandson gained an invaluable memory he will treasure for the rest of his life. Stay at home? Not unless you want to. Q. Does hospice practice mercy killing? Send your questions to us at health@vitalcare.org. Back to the Top |
