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Services Overview

Hospice – When the goal is caring, not curing

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

LEVELS OF HOSPICE CARE

Routine Home Care

  • This is the most common level of hospice care.
  • Hospice is provided in the home by team members including a physician, registered nurse, hospice aide, social worker, chaplain and volunteer, who come for scheduled visits depending on the needs of the patient and family. 
  • Patients may receive care in their personal home or what they “call home” — possibly an assisted living facility, personal care home, nursing home or other retirement community.

Continuous Care

  • Provided during periods of crisis in which a patient requires continuous nursing care to achieve palliation or management of acute medical symptoms.
  • Provided in the patient’s home, assisted living facility or long-term care location.
  • Patients are visited by our team members, receive up to 24-hours-a-day care by a licensed nurse and hospice aide.

General Inpatient Care

  • General Inpatient Care (also known as Inpatient Care) is care for pain control and symptom management that cannot effectively be provided in other settings.
  • Often short-term in nature and can be provided in a hospital, hospice unit or long-term facility.
  • A patient may require inpatient care when symptoms have become uncontrollable and cannot be managed at home.
  • The patient receives extra attention until symptoms are greatly reduced or eliminated.
  • Our hospice team and patient’s physician work together to ensure the patient obtains and maintains a tolerable comfort level.
  • Once comfort levels have been achieved, the patient usually returns home for routine home care.

Respite Care

  • Patients may be moved to respite care when a caregiver cannot continue to give care at an optimum level. Caregivers also choose respite care when they need to travel or tend to their own healthcare needs.
  • Respite Care allows a patient to be temporarily placed in a facility with 24-hour care so the family can rest (usually 1-5 days).
  • Respite Care can be provided in a nursing care facility.

Heartfelt Help

We aspire to be help the entire family. More text and description to go here and here too.

Spreading Hope To All

We aspire to be help the entire family. More text and description to go here and here too.

Would you like to talk to someone who can help you today?

Call 1.412.367.3685 or click the button to fill out our contact form. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.