"Hospice from the Heart"

 Hospice care is a person and family-centered approach that includes, at a minimum, a team of doctors, nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, counselors, and trained volunteers. They work together focusing on the dying patient’s needs whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. The goal is to help keep the patient as pain-free as possible, with loved ones nearby. The hospice team develops a care plan that meets each person’s individual needs for pain management and symptom control.

The team usually consists of:

• Clergy or other counselors;
• Home health aides;
• Hospice physician (or medical director);
• Nurses;
• Social workers;
• Trained volunteers;
• Speech, physical, and occupational therapists, if needed;
• The person’s personal physician may also be included.