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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions | Referrals | Payment | Patient and Family Care | Patient Care Settings

General Questions About Hospice

1.  What is Hospice?
Hospice is not a place or a program; it is a philosophy  of care. Hospice affirms life, yet views dying as a normal process.  We understand that facing a life-limiting illness calls for not only coping with physical problems, but also with spiritual, social and emotional needs as well.  Ogeechee Area Hospice offers compassionate care to persons who no longer benefit from aggressive, curative treatments. 

2.   Isn’t Hospice Care only for terminal cancer patients?
Ogeechee Area Hospice cares not only for cancer patients, but also patients with lung disease, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, AIDS, and other end-stage illnesses. 

3.  What exactly does it mean to be “terminal”?
Terminal in Hospice care means that the physician and the patient agree that:

• The goal of care has changed from aggressive and curative to control of the symptoms.
• The patient’s life expectancy may be six months or less, if the disease does not improve.

4.  Doesn’t choosing Hospice mean that you are giving up hope?
Although a terminal illness can lead to feelings of sadness, anger and pain, it can also lead to opportunities and hope; opportunities to reminisce, reunite, laugh and love; and hope for comfort and dignity.

5.  Does Hospice do anything to make death come sooner?
Patients who are admitted to the Hospice program are at varying stages of their disease; sometimes with months of living ahead and at times, only days or hours.  Ogeechee Area Hospice does nothing to speed up or slow down the dying process.  Regardless of the patient’s condition, medications for symptom management are very carefully monitored to ensure that they are both safe and effective.

6.  If a person is not close to death, what is the benefit of care by Ogeechee Area Hospice?
Patients who are referred when they become eligible for Hospice, rather than when death is near, gain the greatest advantage from Hospice care. Early referral to Hospice gives the family and the Hospice staff time to build a mutual trust.  In addition, the Hospice staff members can learn and understand the goals that are important to the patient and the family, and consequently have time to carry them out if possible. 
           
Hospice care benefits the individual and their family in many ways:

• The individual is less likely to need repeat hospitalizations and/or visits to an emergency room due to frequent monitoring by a Hospice Registered Nurse and excellent symptom control.
• Medications for symptom control of the disease and medical equipment needed for improved function are paid for under the Medicare benefit, Medicaid benefit and most insurance plans. 
• Hospice team members provide assistance with personal hygiene, socialization, and other supportive care.
• The patient and /or family have access by phone to our Hospice RN’s  24 hours a day, seven days a week.  RN’s are available to make non-scheduled visits if necessary. 
• Help is given to access various community resources.

7.   Aren’t all Hospices the same?
No.  Although Hospice organizations must comply with the same basic regulatory requirements, Ogeechee Area Hospice is an independent community-based, non-profit, charitable organization with all funding used for hospice services, bereavement care and end-of-life education.  Ogeechee Area Hospice strives to offer care above and beyond the basic regulatory guidelines.

• An all RN home-care nursing staff.
• Assessments and admissions performed seven days a week.
• Nursing Assistant services, for help with personal care, up to seven days a week if needed.
• Staff-to-patient ratios are above the national standard across all disciplines.
• A state-of-the-art Inpatient Hospice Center, offering 24-hour intensive Hospice care for those who require short-term management of symptoms.
  

• At some point in time, individuals living with a chronic illness, such as heart disease, lung disease, Alzheimer’s and others, reach a point when the illness is considered to be “end-stage.”  The person’s symptoms become more pronounced with frequent, acute episodes. The focus of care then shifts to improving symptoms rather than trying to cure the disease.
•  Individuals with cancer who have not responded to curative treatment reach a point in time when such treatment is futile or even harmful. 

In these situations, it is appropriate to discuss all health care options, including Hospice care.  Patients and families can find great healing in moving away from all efforts of curing the disease and moving toward reasonable and more meaningful goals.  The Ogeechee Area Hospice team members are very sensitive to this and are always available to answer questions and address concerns.

2.  Who can refer someone to Hospice?
The patient and family should feel free to discuss the option of Hospice care at any time with their physician, hospital or nursing home social worker as well as any registered nurse involved in the patient’s care.  Any of these individuals can make a referral to Hospice.  Patients and families may also call directly to Ogeechee Area Hospice to learn more about Hospice care and ask questions. 

 3.  Is the patient’s doctor still involved his or her care?
Absolutely!  The patient’s primary physician will continue to manage the patient’s medical care.  If the person is able to continue with routine office visits and wishes to see their primary physician, this is appropriate and encouraged.  If not, the Hospice RN will be the physician’s eyes and ears and will report any significant changes to the doctor. 

Patient and Family Care

1. What kind of services can a person expect under the care of Ogeechee Area Hospice?
The staff of Ogeechee Area Hospice realizes that dealing with a terminal illness calls for coping not only with the physical symptoms, but also the spiritual, emotional and financial difficulties that accompany the disease.   Services offered by Ogeechee Area Hospice include: 

• Care coordination and home visits by a Hospice RN
• A RN on-call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Periodic visits by a social worker for emotional and financial concerns
• Spiritual support by a Hospice chaplain
• Assistance, up to 7 days a week, with personal hygiene by a hospice nursing assistant
• Support from trained volunteers
• Payment for comfort medications related to the hospice diagnosis
• Supplies and equipment related to the hospice diagnosis at no additional cost to the patient
• Short-term inpatient care for symptom management and respite care
• Bereavement support for the family up to 13 months after the death

2. I’ve never cared for a terminally ill patient before.  How will I know what to do?
Ogeechee Area Hospice nurses and other team members work with each family to teach them how to care for their loved one.  The staff will visit regularly and are always available to answer questions.  When your loved one is at home, nights can be especially stressful and long as the disease progresses.  Ogeechee Area Hospice is available around the clock by phone.  Nurses make night visits as needed.  Ogeechee Area Hospice is always just a phone call away. 

3.  If a person chooses Hospice, can he/she return back to aggressive medical care?
Patients always have the right to revoke Hospice care and reinstate more aggressive medical care at any time, for any reason.  If a patient’s condition improves or the disease goes into remission, he or she can be discharged from Hospice and return to aggressive, curative measures, if so desired.  If a discharged patient wants to return to hospice care, Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance companies will allow readmission.

4. Do all patients need an advanced directive?
Having an advanced directive is always helpful.  It is most important to express your end-of-life wishes to your family members so that in the event that you cannot speak for yourself, they may carry out your desires.  Advance directives come in two types, the Living Will and the Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, and are an added layer of protection.    

• Living Will—A competent person who does not want to have artificial life-prolonging measures used when there is no hope of recovery might consider signing a Living Will.  This declaration states a person’s wishes in the event that the person can no longer speak on his or her own behalf.    For a Living Will to work, a family must be unified in making sure the patient’s wishes are honored. 
• Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare—This gives the person designated in a legal document the authority to make any healthcare decision on behalf of a patient who becomes mentally incapacitated.  It covers all healthcare decisions whether or not they relate to a terminal illness.  Many states now have standard forms to use, or you may want to contact a lawyer for advice regarding this document.

To make certain that your wishes are carried out, it is most beneficial to have both a Living Will that states your position and also a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare to ensure that your Living Will is honored.  For more information about Advance Directives, please contact Ogeechee Area Hospice.

5.  What can volunteers do to help?
Hospice volunteers enhance quality of life and help reduce the burden of care giving.  They are available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones including running errands, lending emotional support and companionship, staying with a patient to give family member a rest or a chance to catch up on appointments, and helping out with light housekeeping.  In addition to patient care, volunteers also help out in the Ogeechee Area Hospice office with administrative and bereavement tasks.  For more information about volunteering, click here.

6.  Do your services stop after death has occurred?
Ogeechee Area Hospice follows the family for at least a year after the death of a loved one to provide bereavement support.  Individual counseling and support groups as well as a grief camp for children are also available to anyone in the community who is grieving regardless of whether they have used Hospice services or not.

2.  Under what circumstances can a patient come for a stay in the Ogeechee Area Hospice Inpatient Center?

The ideal place for a Hospice patient is in their home; however there are times when that is not possible.  When symptoms require intensive management or caregivers are overwhelmed, the Inpatient Center offers a short-term alternative for care.

• Symptom Management- Sometimes patients experience increased pain , anxiety or other symptoms that current medications are not controlling.  When this happens, the Hospice nurse will make a recommendation for the Inpatient Center where 24-hour monitoring of the patient can occur.  Once the acute symptoms have been controlled, the patient may return home or to the nursing home. 
• Respite Care- Ogeechee Area Hospice is aware of the emotional and physical strain of caring for an ailing loved one.  When the care becomes an overwhelming burden, patients may stay in the Inpatient Center for a period of respite.  Respite care can also happen when a caregiver must leave town for a short time, when a caregiver must have a medical procedure, or other times that the Hospice nurse deems appropriate. 
• Transitory Care—Ogeechee Area Hospice receives many referrals from the local hospitals and other facilities.  Patients may stay in the Inpatient Center for a short time after leaving the hospital to allow time to optimize symptom control, to teach caregivers, to prepare the home or to arrange nursing home placement.