Hospice Care in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

Anyone who has been touched by hospice knows it’s not a place, but a type of care. While we admit medically fragile patients to our Inpatient Care Center in downtown Louisville, the majority of our care is provided to patients and families “wherever they call home.”

That means we meet people where they are. Many of our patients are in private residences, but we also care for patients in nursing homes, personal care and assisted living facilities. The same level of care is available everywhere, no matter what location it’s delivered in.

What we offer to patients in these facilities is an extra layer of support at the end of life that enhances their care, improves their quality of life, and allows them to create more moments and special memories with those who mean the most to them. Our care team also offers added support to facility staff, which is more important than ever during the challenges of COVID-19.

Hospice in Nursing Homes

Nursing home staff are responsible for many patients, with even more demands on their time during the pandemic. This means they can’t provide as much attention to terminally ill patients as they would like. Facility staff also may not be specialists in end-of-life care. That’s where Hosparus Health comes in.

We are the experts in hospice and palliative care, providing personalized attention through a team that includes a nurse, social worker, CNA, chaplain and volunteer. This is in addition to the care patients already receive at the facility.

Our team partners with the nursing home’s attending physician and staff, making regular visits to monitor the patient’s care and comfort. We’re also available 24/7 for pain and symptom management. Nursing facility staff can call us and speak to someone at Hosparus Health right away, allowing them to quickly address their patient’s symptoms any time of day or night.

We take on the responsibility of making sure patients have the medication, equipment, supplies and therapies they need. Our CNA helps with personal care like bathing, and our social worker and chaplain provide counseling and spiritual support to both the patient and their family.

One of the biggest benefits of our care in nursing homes is active communication. We not only are an extra set of eyes and ears to for the facility staff, letting them know about changes in the patient’s condition, we can also be the main point of contact for the family. This has been especially valuable to during the pandemic.

Because visitation is not currently allowed in nursing facilities, the need for increased communication with families has put an additional burden on facility staff. Hosparus Health can take on that responsibility, and regularly let the family know how their loved one is doing.

Hospice in Assisted Living

For patients in personal care or assisted living facilities, we understand it’s their home, and the other residents and staff are like their family. Our hospice services help keep patients at the facility and out of the hospital, allowing them to have a peaceful ending in the place where they feel most comfortable.

Just like in nursing homes, patients in personal care and assisted living facilities get the full benefit of our care team, which works with their regular doctors to ensure they have the best quality of life possible. Hosparus Health also embraces the other residents and staff, offering grief support and counseling to anyone who feels a heaviness after loss.

More than Medical Care

Our care teams offer so much more than medical care to patients in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. When patients are unable to take part in their facility’s activities or even go down to the dining room for a meal, we know it can mean so much to have regular interaction with our care teams, even when that is by video or phone.

Hosparus Health is dedicated to improving quality of life for each and every patient, making their last chapters the best they can be. If you know a nursing home or assisted living facility resident who could benefit from an extra layer of care, contact us at 800-264-0521.