Federal law dictates that all home healthcare patients be informed of their rights and responsibilities. Home Nursing will provide you with a summary of patient’s rights and responsibilities that are consistent with Texas State laws.

Home health care is available to individuals of all ages with a wide variety of health conditions. Skilled nurses and other healthcare professionals provide a wide range of services allowing the patient to stay in their home, preserving their independence and dignity, and enhancing their quality of life. The need for home care is usually triggered by one of the following situations:

1. Being released from the hospital following a sudden event such as a heart attack, stroke or injury, where the patient is restricted to home for a length of time. The patient may require teaching on any new medication, wound care or monitoring of surgical wounds, and teaching from a skilled nurse on disease progression. Physical, occupational or speech therapy may help to strengthen the patient back to their previously normal level of activity.

2. An ongoing health issue which requires a greater level of care than what is currently available in your home.

3. When you find it increasingly difficult to take care of yourself and your home.

Robin Floyd, DNP RN FNP-BC ACHPN/Director of Clinical Services

We are a community based hospice, owned by three individuals who live and work to provide the very best hospice care to the people in the communities we serve. We pride ourselves on providing a deeper, more personal level of care to our patients, and handle even the most complex cases. The mission of hospice is constantly in our hearts and minds as we strive to serve individuals and their families.

National Hospice Foundation research shows there are 10 key things people want for a loved one facing life limiting illness:

Assurance that the patient’s wishes are honored and respected

Choice among the types of treatments, care and services that are available

Pain and symptom control tailored to the patient’s wishes

Emotional support for the patient and their loved ones

An opportunity for the patient to put his/her affairs and life in order

Spiritual support for the patient and family

The option to choose where the patient will be cared for, including remaining at home

A team of professionals to offer comprehensive care for the patient

Continuity of caregivers, no matter where a patient resides

Comfort, dignity and understanding are critical aspects of the service

The care we provide is centered on these concerns.

Hospice care is provided in the client’s home, whether that is a nursing home, assisted living residence, hospital.

Most hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and/or private insurance. No Home Hospice patient is ever turned away due to the lack of insurance or inability to pay, and no patient or family ever receives a bill.

Hospices have a lot of experience with managing pain, and many people with cancer benefit from hospice care. However, people with severe heart failure, end-stage lung disease, neuromuscular diseases, dementia and other life-limiting conditions also qualify for hospice care.

Members of the Home Hospice team include:

You and your loved ones are key members of the team. You have chosen us to accompany you on a very special journey, and we respect your concerns and desires at every step. We will provide you with all the information needed to make the best choices. Your doctor will continue in the role of your attending physician. However, Home Hospice doctors, who specialize in palliative, comfort care will also become a vital part of the care team.

A complete-skilled nursing care team will make regular visits to monitor your condition, manage medications, and provide answers to medical questions. They also provide teaching to family members and caregivers on how to care for your loved one, and provide answers to questions about death and dying. A nurse is available on call 24 hours a day.

Social workers are on-hand as experienced counselors and experts on community resources. A social worker can also help families communicate, arrange support for caregivers, and help to find financial and legal assistance.

Certified Nursing Assistants help the caregiver by providing personal care such as bathing, changing linens, or tidying up the patient’s room, as needed.

Specially trained volunteers offer assistance with personal care and household tasks, such as cleaning or food shopping and preparation, as needed. They can run errands or provide a few hours of respite care, giving the caregiver a much needed break. Non-denominational chaplains can provide assistance in many areas: spiritual counseling for people of all faiths, planning funeral services, offering communion, and serving as a liaison between the family and clergy of the community.

Bereavement coordinators offer grief support and services to family members and loved ones for more than a year after death. These include support groups, individual counseling, and educational workshops.

Patients in the final stages of life, and often patients in the progressive stages of a life-threatening illness, can receive hospice care. This includes people of all ages, including children. Patients are usually admitted to the program when their life expectancy is measured in terms of months. Persons of any illness, age, race, color, physical or mental handicap, religion or national origin may benefit from hospice services, regardless of ability to pay.

When the goals of treatment change from cure to comfort (palliative) care, you should be able to discuss the issue openly with your health care team. Since emphasis is on comfort and support, the decision to enter a hospice program should be made early enough for the patient to fully benefit from all services. Hospice is most effective when sufficient time is available to establish a trusting relationship with the patient and the family. The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at any time with their physician, other health care professionals,clergy or friends.

Hospice care involves a team-oriented, total-care approach to patients whose disease no longer responds to curative treatment, or when patients are no longer seeking curative/aggressive therapies. It is a choice which expertly focuses on the patient’s pain and symptom management, but also addresses the spiritual, emotional, psychological, financial, and legal needs of the patient and family. Hospice seeks to allow patients to continue an alert, pain-free life, and to manage their symptoms so that their last months or days may be spent with dignity and quality, surrounded by love. In most cases, care is provided in the patient’s home, but other settings may include hospitals, nursing homes or an assisted living facility.

Home Hospice is a community based hospice, with local owners who live and work to provide the very best hospice care to the people in the communities we serve. We pride ourselves on providing a deeper, more personal level of care to our patients, and handle even the most complex cases. The mission of hospice is constantly in our hearts and minds as we strive to serve individuals and their families.

Robin Floyd, DNP RN FNP-BC ACHPN/Director of Clinical Services