1/ What is Hospice?
2/ What are the advantages of Hospice care?
3/ What services do Hospices provide?
4/ Who is eligible for Hospice?
5/ Who pays for Hospice care?
6/ How can I help?
Catholic Hospice Privacy Practices
1/ What is Hospice?
Hospice is a special kind of care for people facing life-limiting illnesses, their
families and their care givers that treats the physical needs of the patient as well
as their emotional and spiritual needs. Hospice care involves a core interdisciplinary
team of professionals and volunteers who provide medical, psychological, and spiritual
support for the terminally ill, and assistance to their families. Focused on pain control
and symptom management, the care is primarily based in the home, enabling families
to remain together in peace, comfort, and dignity.
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2/ What are the advantages of Hospice care?
Choosing the appropriate care for you or your loved one is never a decision that
comes easy. Regardless of age, diagnosis, or financial standing, it's important
to have a clear understanding about the care choices that are available and to
recognize which is best for each person's specific needs.
Hospice treats the person, instead of the disease; focuses on the family, instead
of just the individual; and emphasizes the quality of life, instead of its duration.
Hospice uses the combined knowledge and skills of an interdisciplinary team
of professionals, including physicians, nurses, home care aides, social workers,
spiritual caregivers, counselors, and volunteers.
Hospice care is a cost-effective alternative to services provided in hospitals,
nursing homes, and other institutional settings.
Hospice is the preferred choice of health care delivery for the terminally
ill and their families.
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3/ What services do Hospices provide?
Medicare-certified hospices typically provide nursing care; social services;
physician services; counseling services (including spiritual and dietary);
home care aide; bereavement services; physical and occupational therapies;
and speech-language pathology services. Short term, in-patient care (for respite,
pain control, and symptom management), continuous care in the home, and
medical equipment and supplies (including drugs and biologicals) are also available. Additional services can be offered. Therefore, the range of hospice services may
vary from program to program. Care is structured to keep families together in the
least restrictive environment possible.
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4/ Who is eligible for Hospice?
Hospice is available to all terminally ill individuals and their families regardless of their age, gender, race, nationality, creed, sexual orientation, physical condition, availability
of primary caregiver, or ability to pay. Anyone can refer a patient to Catholic Hospice.
To be admitted, a patient must:
• Agree to treatment aimed at comfort rather than cure.
• Have an incurable disease with a life expectancy of six months or less, as certified
by a physician. Catholic Hospice serves patient with all diagnoses, including: AIDS,
Alzheimer's, Cancer, Cardiac Disease, Congenital Disorders, Gastro-Intestinal
Disease, Hematologic Disorders, Neurological Disorders and Renal Disease.
• Live in Miami-Dade or Monroe County at the time of service.
For more information, or to make a referral, call the Admissions Department
at 305.822.2380
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5/ Who pays for Hospice care?
Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance
and managed care plans. Hospices heavily rely on grants and community support
to fund services for patients with little or no insurance. Catholic Hospice raises
funds for indigent patients who have no insurance or whose insurance does not
cover all costs of care.
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6/ How can I help?
Volunteering: Consider becoming a Catholic Hospice volunteer. Areas of service
include direct patient care, clerical and administrative support, fundraising, and
special events. Visit our Volunteer Page for more information.
Donating to Hospice: Donations, memorial gifts and bequests are welcomed as sources of ongoing support and enable us to serve those who are unable to pay for services.
In addition to personal checks and cash gifts, we accept Visa and MasterCard.
All gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by IRS regulations.
For more information on donating to Catholic Hospice visit our
Donations Page.
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