207 Morgan Street Mount Pleasant, Texas 75455 · Phone 888-429-2966 or 903-577-1510 · Fax 903-577-9377
What is Hospice and What Does it Do?
Hospice is a philosophy of care. The hospice philosophy recognizes death as the final stage of life and seeks to enable patients to continue an alert pain-free life with aggressive symptom control so that their last days may be spent with dignity and quality, surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice believes in letting life conclude naturally; hospice affirms life and neither hastens nor postpones death, focusing on the quality rather than the length of life. Care planning shifts from curative to supportive care. It provides family centered care involving the patient and family in all decision making.
Hospice is a concept rooted in the centuries-old idea of offering a place of shelter and rest or "hospitality" to weary and sick travelers on a long journey. Dame Cicely Saunders at St. Christopher's Hospice in London first applied the term "hospice" to specialized care for dying patients in 1967. Today, hospice care provides humane and compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible. It is a concept of providing rest and shelter to those who are sick and weary on life's final journey.
Cypress Basin Hospice believes that our responsibility during this time is to provide a comprehensive and individualized care plan that identifies and honors the wishes and goals of the patient and family. We do this by reviewing the programs and services that are available, identifying their clinical needs as well any spiritual, psychosocial and bereavement needs and developing a comprehensive care plan. Interdisciplinary team visits are then made to support the care plan; visit frequency is determined by and responsive to the progression of the illness and the symptoms presented as well as the wishes of the patient and family.
How to Receive Care
Anyone with a life limiting condition (terminal illness) that has chosen to forego curative directed treatment and has a physician that is willing to certify them as having a life expectancy of six months or less is eligible for hospice care. The actual Medicare guidelines which is the standard used by all insurance and government payor sources indicates that an individual is eligible to receive hospice care when their physician certifies that the patient has a "life expectancy of six months or less, if the disease runs its normal course." Medicare realizes that no one, even physicians can accurately predict or prognosticate the end of life and therefore understands the unpredictability of life limiting illnesses. Another requirement that can affect entry into hospice is the need for adequate care giver assistance in home or other location where services will be delivered. While this is not an automatic requirement upon admission, it must be understood by the patient and family that it will be required once the illness progresses to the point that more appropriate supervision is needed.
It is important to remember that delaying entry into hospice, once a disease has progressed to what is known as end stage does not delay the progression of the illness. As a result, the patient and family are not receiving the support they need and therefore the quality end of life care that hospice strives to achieve for them.
How to Refer Someone for Hospice Care
Referral for consideration of hospice care can come from anyone. The patient, family, friend, spiritual advisor, nursing home staff, hospital discharge planner, physician's office etc. can contact Cypress Basin Hospice to request that we talk with the patient and family regarding hospice services and appropriateness for hospice care. This is called an Informational Consult and is available without cost or obligation. Receiving an informational consult for hospice services does not always mean admission. A consult is simply a fact finding mission that allows the patient and family to discover resources available for care in a non-threatening manner. Should the patient decide to accept hospice care a primary physician would need to be identified, contacted, provide certification of illness and give approval for admission. Should the patient decide against receiving hospice support then the hospice personnel will honor their decision and leave the residence after informing the patient and caregiver of the ability to call for another consult at anytime and of the resource hospice can be regardless of patient being admitted (i.e. bereavement). Patients that have a chronic illness that choose not to accept hospice care may consider receiving assistance from the Transitions Program.
Admission into Cypress Basin Hospice involves a meeting with the patient and agreed upon caregiver if required at that time
The hospice services provided by Cypress Basin Hospice are funded by Medicare Part A, Medicaid, and most Private Insurance Companies. Most patients and families don't realize that Medicare provides a separate benefit for Medicare patients who elect hospice; it is called the Medicare Hospice Benefit and covers everything related to managing the patient's terminal illness, other than physician charges. That means it also covers needed and approved medications, medical equipment and supplies.
Cypress Basin Hospice is fortunate to be able to provide care to those that are under-funded or unfunded through the generous donations and memorials given by the citizens of our communities and patient's families and friends. Community support is what started Cypress Basin Hospice and what continues to allow Cypress Basin Hospice to grow and expand services to the communities we serve.
If you have specific questions about funding or covered/non-covered services please feel free to contact Cypress Basin Hospice at 903-577-1510 or 1-888-429-2966 Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For questions that arise after regular office hours call the above numbers and ask for the Cypress Basin Hospice on call nurse to contact you.
Where is Hospice Care Delivered
Cypress Basin Hospice provides care in a variety of settings. Many of our patients and families wish to remain at home throughout the duration of the illness and with our help, are able to do so. It is the policy of Cypress Basin Hospice to provide care in the patient's place of residence. We have contractual relationships with most of the long term care facilities in the area; this includes nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Many patients who reside in nursing homes and receive Medicaid are not aware they have the right to receive hospice care in the nursing home.
We also have contractual relationships with the acute care hospitals in our service area so that if we need to utilize their resources for pain or symptom control, we can do so. One of the many benefits that occur when a patient enters Cypress Basin Hospice is the excellent pain and symptom control experience that our staff has developed, making frequent trips to the hospital unnecessary. We can also utilize their services for respite care, a program made available to a patient's caregiver so they can recover from some of the physical, emotional and mental stresses associated with caring for a loved one.
Services Provided by the Hospice Interdisciplinary Team (IDT)
The Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) at Cypress Basin Hospice is made up of the patient's attending physician, hospice medical director, nurse, home health aide, chaplain, social worker, bereavement coordinator and volunteer coordinator. The team develops the plan of care with the patient and families goals in mind to address the clinical, psychosocial and spiritual needs or symptoms being experienced by either the patient or family. The team meets at least every 14 days to discuss a patient's plan of care, and response to interventions. Each team member brings their unique experiences and training to these meetings with the end result being that the care plan is responsive to the needs of the patient and family and effective symptom management of the disease is accomplished.
The following members and services are available to each patient and family served by Cypress Basin Hospice.
Attending Physician- The patient's personal physician usually directs the care of the patient during their time under hospice care. Hospice care must have a physician to direct and over-see the plan of care. Every thing that Cypress Basin Hospice does from the admission to all care planning and orders for service must be authorized by the attending physician and/or hospice medical director. The staff at Cypress Basin Hospice can not act independently without physician orders.
Hospice Medical Director- Hospice is required to have a Medical Director as part of the IDT to perform over-site of the plan of care and act as a resource for the team and patients primary physician. A Cypress Basin Hospice physician will work with the patient's personal physician to develop an individual plan of care. Cypress Basin Hospice physicians are specially trained to care for patients with advanced illness and are experts in pain and symptom control. A patient may have their own primary physician direct their hospice care or they may utilize the medical director to perform this duty.
Nurse- The nurses at Cypress Basin Hospice will work closely with your physician to keep you as physically comfortable as possible; they become the eyes and ears of your doctor. The nurse will make regular visits to help manage symptoms and control pain. The nurse will teach you and your family about medications and treatments and answer any questions you have related to your care and the disease process. If you have any questions or problems, a nurse is available for urgent visits and/or telephone consultations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Home Health Aides- Cypress Basin Hospice home health aides work with your nurse and your caregivers to assist with personal care such as bathing, skin and hair care, shampoo, oral care and bed linen care. Your aide serves as the eyes and ears for your primary nurse and reports directly to your nurse.
Social Worker- Our social workers at Cypress Basin Hospice provide professional assessment of your needs and match you with the community resources that can assist with your personal situation. They also provide ongoing emotional support and can help with advance directives and funeral planning if desired. More information on Advanced Directives is found in our Medical Directives section.
Spiritual Support- Finding a sense of purpose in life and meaning in illness and death is important to many patients and families coping with a serious illness. Spiritual care is available to you and your family to help you address these issues. With compassionate listening and non-judgmental guidance, chaplains may help you cope with any feelings of loneliness, doubt, fear or anxiety that you may experience. Cypress Basin Hospice utilizes a Volunteer Chaplaincy program to assist patients and families with their spiritual needs. These individuals represent the lay community and are specifically trained in supportive spiritual matters and hospice volunteer work.
Volunteers- Cypress Basin Hospice volunteers receive extensive training in hospice philosophy and the services delivered to our patients and families. Working as a hospice team member our volunteers quickly come to understand the needs of our patients and their families. Volunteer support may include sitting with the patient while the family is away for short periods, providing emotional support and a listening ear to the patient and caregivers, helping with errands, helping the patient complete projects and performing various duties as requested by the patient or family. More information about the Cypress Basin Hospice volunteer program may be found in our Volunteer section.
Bereavement- Cypress Basin Hospice bereavement services help our families and their caregivers deal with the loss of a loved one and further assist them with complicated grief issues. Stress and anxiety relief are an essential element in every component of the bereavement program. Support services are provided through regular communication between the bereaved and the Cypress Basin Hospice bereavement team in the form of written correspondence, telephone calls and personal visits for at least thirteen (13) months after the patient's death. Cypress Basin Hospice also holds annual memorial services dedicated to the remembrance of patients who died within the previous year. More information on the extensive bereavement program of Cypress Basin Hospice may be found in our Bereavement Section in this tab.
On-Call Assistance- Cypress Basin Hospice provides support to its patients and families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Staff members are available to answer questions and make visits as necessary and as often as necessary to take care of clinical symptoms. Being available to you when you need us and as quickly as possible is an important part of providing good quality care.
Palliative Care Consulting Group- Cypress Basin Hospice utilizes the services of specially trained pharmacists (called Pharm-Ds) to assist us in symptom control and pain management. Their training and over 30 years experience in chronic illness make them a valuable asset and excellent resource for us and your attending physician to call on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.