What services does Hope Hospice offer?

• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on-call nursing services for emergencies
• Physician services
• Visits by a Registered, skilled nurse
• Social services/counseling
• Pastoral services
• Hospice Aides to provide personal care
• Patient and family teaching done by the hospice team
• Nutritional counseling
• Supportive care by trained volunteers
• Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech
  therapy, if needed
• Symptom management and pain control medications
• Medical equipment and supplies
• Short-term inpatient and respite care can be provided as deemed necessary by medical social service
• Bereavement follow-up
• Support groups

Who provides hospice services?

Services are provided by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals including: physicians, nurses, social workers, pastoral care counselors, pharmacists, hospice aides, bereavement counselors, and volunteers.

The patient’s physician participates in the establishment of the plan of care and works with the Hope Hospice team in caring for the patient. The Hope Hospice Medical Director is available as a consultant on matters of specialized pain and symptom control and provides care if the patient or their physician requests. Choosing hospice care does not affect the individual relationship between patients and their attending physicians.

Who is eligible for Hope Hospice services?

Hope Hospice serves people who are living in Allegheny and surrounding counties. Care is available to people of all ages, who are experiencing the end stages of their illnesses. We serve patients with all diagnoses, including:

• Cancer
• Cardiac Disease
• Congestive Heart Failure
• Pulmonary Disease
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Neurological Disorders
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Parkinson’s Disease
• ALS
• Liver Disease
• Renal Disease
• Respiratory Disease

When is it time for hospice? Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the patient’s condition life limiting? A life limiting condition may be due to a specific diagnosis or a combination of diseases.
  
• Are the patient and/or family aware of the life limiting condition?
• Has the patient and/or family elected treatment goals directed toward relief of symptoms rather than cure of the underlying disease?
• Is there documented clinical progression of the disease or evidence of co-morbidities?
• Has the patient had multiple emergency room visits or inpatient hospitalizations over the past six months?
• Is there evidence of a decline in functional status documented either by Karnofsky Performance Status of less than or equal to 50%, or by dependence in at least three of six Activities of Daily living (ADLs)?
• Is there documented recent impaired nutritional status related to the terminal process evidenced by unintentional progressive weight loss of >10% over prior six months?

Call Hope Hospice for an evaluation if you need assistance to determine the appropriateness of hospice services. 1.412.367.3685