Our priority at Gifted Hearts Hospice and Palliative Care is to provide compassionate care. We strive to maintain the dignity and comfort of our hospice patients by minimizing the symptoms of their terminal illnesses, allowing them to engage in life and “Live until they Leave.” We work to improve quality of life for all our patients who require palliative care.
Our services include:
Routine Care
Routine Care is the most common level of hospice care and the beginning point for most patients. Routine care is provided in the patient's place of residence—a private home, an assisted living community, a skilled nursing facility, etc. Under routine care, the patient receives regular visits from the members of their care team. Generally, hospice staff will visit two to seven times per week, depending on the patient's specific needs. As health conditions change, team members adjust their visits to accommodate these changes and ensure optimal care.
Respite Care
Respite Care is provided for the purpose of allowing family members and caregivers a short break from the duties of caregiving. During this period, a patient is transferred to a contracted skilled nursing facility that will manage their care in conjunction with the hospice staff. Respite Care offers in-home caregivers time to rejuvenate.
General Inpatient Care
General Inpatient Care (GIP) is initiated when a patient experiences acute symptoms that cannot be safely managed in their own residence. GIP is provided in a skilled nursing facility or a hospice inpatient unit where there is a 24-hour registered nurse (RN) available to manage acute symptoms. Once those symptoms are under control, the patient returns to their place of residence and resumes routine hospice care.
Continuous Care
Continuous Care is the highest level of hospice that a patient can receive in a home or residential care facility. It is provided during periods of crisis in which a patient is experiencing symptoms that are unmanageable by routine care. Such symptoms will require continuous nursing intervention (up to 24 hours per day) to achieve palliation and comfort. During the crisis, nurses will remain with the patient until symptoms are managed and comfort is ensured.
Gifted Hearts Palliative Care Program
Palliative Care is specialized medical care that focuses on relieving pain and discomfort. Our service adopts a holistic approach to managing troubling symptoms such as pain, difficulty breathing, constipation, intractable nausea and vomiting, anorexia, anxiety, depression, and other stresses caused by serious illness.
Patients with chronic disorders or significant infirmities (including but not limited to: cancer, heart disease, lung diseases like COPD, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension, COVID, end-stage liver disease, kidney failure, Parkinson's disease, dementia, stroke, ongoing degenerative muscle or nerve disease) can begin palliative treatment at any point in their illness. Patients can continue curative treatments with their regular medical providers while receiving palliative care from our specially trained professionals whose goal is to improve quality of life for patients and their familes.
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy in hospice and palliative care works to maximize functional ability and reduce pain in motion for patients to improve their quality of life.
Psychosocial Therapy
Psychosocial Therapy assists patients and family member in hospice and palliative care by encouraging healthy adjustments to change in relation to self and to others.
Bereavement Counseling
Bereavement Counseling included in the hospice program brings tangible hope and comfort to those who mourn. It gives them tools to work through their feelings as it guides them through the various stages of grief. Bereavement counseling is offered to caregivers and family members for thirteen months beyond the death of the patient.
Social Services
Social Services at Gifted Hearts Hospice and Palliative care provide assistance to our patients and their families with navigating the healthcare system, connecting with local, state, and federal resources, end-of-life preparations, and completing legal documents such as advanced directives. Our Medical Social Workers act as liaisons between patient and medical team to assure proper communication of preferences and options in care.