Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley announces
the opening of new Inpatient Center
After more than two years of planning and construction, Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley announces the official opening of a 5-bed hospice Inpatient Center. This Inpatient Center, the first in the region, is located on the second floor of the new Adams County Regional Medical Center in Seaman, Ohio.
The Center features five private-suite rooms that provide homelike spaces for the patient and family. Carefully chosen furnishings help to create a comfortable environment to support the care provided by Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley staff and volunteers. The Center also features a gathering place for families equipped with a kitchenette for a more comfortable experience.
What is inpatient care? There may be times when a hospice patient cannot continue to receive care at home. Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley created the Inpatient Center for these times. The center is designed for short-term care to manage acute symptoms, adjust medications, or to stabilize patients.
The center may be used if there is no primary caregiver or if the patient needs medical attention that cannot be given at home. It can also be used if the patient is approaching death and the patient and family have chosen to spend their final days in the center. Or, it can be used to provide respite care to relieve the patient's primary caregiver on a temporary basis - usually up to five days.
“This facility is critical to our mission and is a giant leap forward for end-of-life care in our region,” said Michael Parker, Director of Development and PR for Hospice of Hope.
Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley is a nonprofit organization caring for those who face life-limiting illnesses. Our service area spans 11 counties including Mason, Bracken, Lewis, Pendleton and Robertson counties in Kentucky and Adams, Brown, Clermont, Highland and Pike counties in Ohio.
For more information about the Inpatient Center or Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley, call 800-928-4848.
The winter holidays are generally perceived as “the most wonderful time of the year.” But for those who are facing new grief after the death of a loved one, the holidays may instead be a time filled with pain and sadness. And even for those for whom grief is not as fresh, the holidays may serve as an annual reminder of the loss - not only of that person, but also of tradition and celebration.
Hospice of Hope grief professionals understand how difficult this time can be. They support families coping with loss all year long. Bereavement counselors stress the importance of making decisions that feel right to the grieving person, and giving oneself permission to make new or different choices at the holidays.
Grief experts remind us that:
· Holidays often center on certain traditions and rituals. For some, continuing these traditions without a loved one may be an important way to continue sharing their memory. For others, it may be more comforting to develop new rituals to help lessen the pain and immediacy of the loss.
· While the holidays can be filled with meaning, they can also be filled with pressure and stress because of additional tasks such as shopping, baking and decorating. Grieving people should be encouraged to prioritize what needs to be done, and focus on those projects that may bring them pleasure. Perhaps the gift list can be pared down, or another family member can cook the family dinner this year.
· The holidays can bring opportunities to remember the person who has died in a way that is personally meaningful. Some families choose to participate in holiday events at a local hospice. Others may choose to share special family stories over a meal. Some may find that making a donation to a special charity or volunteering time to help others in need may be a comforting way to honor their loved one.
Hospice of Hope professionals have always recognized the need to provide emotional and spiritual support to those who are grieving. To learn more about grief and loss or about hospice and palliative care, contact Hospice of Hope at 606-759-4050 or 800-928-4848.
Everyone deserves a little magic in his or her life. Sometimes, it just takes a fairy godmother to make it happen. That’s why the Fairygodmother Foundation and Hospice of Hope teamed up to provide a magical experience to one of our patients. By granting wishes to adults faced with terminal illness, Fairygodmother Foundation helps make dreams a reality for the individuals and their families who need magic the most. Since 1998, they’ve given them a chance for peace, closure and joy in their hour of greatest need.
Recently we were able to apply and then grant a wish of one of our patients for a trip to Orlando, Florida. It was her wish to be able to see the dolphins at Sea World. Through the help of Martie Bradford, a Social Worker at Hospice of Hope, and the Fairygodmother Foundation, we were able to provide this experience.
Hospice of Hope strives to improve the quality of life and death with dignity by providing emotional, spiritual, and physical care to terminally ill patients, their families and our community. This is just one of the many ways that we are able to help people in our community deal with end-of-life issues.
National Hospice/Palliative Care Month is a special time of awareness and outreach when hospices across the country reach out to raise awareness about important care issues for people coping with life-limiting illness.
Every year, more than 1.3 million people living with a life-limiting illness receive care from hospice and palliative care providers in this country. These highly-trained professionals don’t only provide quality medical care, they work to make sure patients and families find dignity, respect, and love during life’s most difficult journey.
Hospice is more than traditional healthcare. Hospice and palliative care programs provide pain management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to patients and their families when a cure is not possible. Hospice and palliative care combines the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and spiritual support that families need most when facing the end of life.
Did You Know?
§ Hospice is not a place, but a special kind of caring focused on relief of pain, symptom control, and spiritual and emotional support. Care goes out to the patient and family caregivers.
§ The majority of hospice care takes place in the home, where the person can be surrounded by family and familiar settings. Yet, inpatient services are available if symptoms cannot be properly attended to at home.
§ Hospice costs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and by most insurance programs and HMO’s.
§ The expenses of all medicines related to the life-limiting illness are covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit.
§ Hospice is not about “giving up” but instead focuses on quality of life, making the wishes of the patient and family caregivers a priority.
§ Bereavement support is available to families for 15 months after the death of their loved one.
§ The most common statement made by families who chose hospice for their loved one is, “we wish we had known about hospice sooner”.