How would you define Hospice Care?

Hospice care is holistic care of a terminally ill patient and his or her close family. It is an act of loving-kindness and compassion by a family toward a loved one who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, injury or who has lived to a ripe old age and is transitioning due to advanced age. At Antelope Valley Hospice Care we provide the highest-quality medical care in an environment of compassion and spiritual and emotional support. We provide optimized pain management and care in harmony with each patient’s wishes, traditions and living will mandates.

End-of-life transition is often highly transformative. It is a sacred time of final bonding and release. It is a time when family needs to know that their loved one is being honored with the right to die in dignity and without pain. If they chose to spend their last days at home, we are there to make that happen. If they prefer to receive palliative care in our homey facility, we will care for your loved one wherever they prefer. We will also provide loving care to the patient’s family, as the patient, family and close friends enjoy an environment of love, support, safety and absolute care.

Hospice Services Equal Extreme Care

When a loved one is beyond cure, there is nothing more loving or appropriate than to provide extreme care. Each patient has his or her own personal preference. Many prefer care in the privacy and comfort of their own home. In this case, Antelope Valley Hospice Care has a full-care staff that is deployable to the patient’s home or that of a relative or close friend.

We are also a on-site best-in-class palliative care medical facility or our staff can care for your loved one at a hospital, nursing home or other long-term care facility. Patients can be of any age or disease state and hospice services are not limited to the elderly.

Hospice care is generally covered under:

• Medicare
• Medicaid
• Private insurance
• HMO plans
• Managed care organizations

What is the Procedure to Establish Hospice Care for a Terminally Family Member?

Most families rely on a family member or series of family members to care for a terminally ill loved one. Sometimes this person takes on the role spontaneously and other times it is a long thought-out process that is determined years before the family member becomes ill. In some cultures, there is a social contract as to who takes care of specific end-of-life family members.

It is this person who will typically lead in the decision-making process on palliative care issues. Sometimes, but not always, this person is supported by other family members in the caregiving process. Our staff with help this person or family team make decisions backed by the support of the complete hospice staff who will make scheduled visits throughout the course of treatment.

Our staff will monitor and assess the patient on a constant and on-going basis, as requested by the primary caregiver or patient. Hospice staff is available on call on a 24/7 basis.

The hospice team creates a care plan for each patient carefully considering their specific needs, desires, directives and medical criteria. As each patient approaches end-of-life as uniquely as he or she lives it, a holistic team of caregivers will remain vigilant to your loved one’s every need.

Our team typically configures from the following care providers:

• Family doctor/lead physician
• On-staff hospice doctor and nursing team
• Emotional care team consisting of a psychologist, clergy or spiritual practitioner
• Nursing aides, home health assistants, volunteer companions
• Physical therapists, masseuse and other body care professionals
• Social Worker
• Family care team

Palliative Care Services Offered

Our wholistic palliative care team is made up of highly-skilled health care professionals who provide their skills, training, innate compassion and dedication to end-of-life dignity to provide comfort, whole-person spiritual and emotional care, family support and maximal comfort throughout the final journey.

These are the primary services provided by our team:

• Minimize or extinguish patient’s pain and symptoms
• Provide whole-person and whole-family spiritual and psychological support
• Inform the patient and their family on the process of dying
• Monitor pain levels and administer pain medication
• Procures mobility accessories, if needed
• Provides medical equipment and supplies, as needed
• Provides and educates family on detailed aspects of patient care
• On-site occupational/physical therapy is available on request
• Respite care of family caregivers
• Bereavement counseling