The Hospice Care Team
Your Elara Caring Hospice Team
Hospice care is expert, compassionate, individualized care which focuses on personal goals and optimizes quality of life for people facing life-limiting illness.
Our home hospice care is provided by a team of registered nurses, physicians, hospice aides, medical social workers, chaplains, volunteers and bereavement support.
Registered Nurses
Hospice nurses are skilled in assessing and managing a patient’s pain and symptoms. They are trained caregivers who provide hands-on patient care. Skilled listeners, hospice nurses comfort the family while also teaching them how to take the best care of their loved one.
Physicians
Every patient in in-home hospice is under the care of a hospice physician who closely monitors the progression of the patient’s illness, prescribes appropriate medications and coordinates care with other members of the team. Hospice physicians invite a patient’s preferred physician to stay as involved as they wish in the care plan.
Hospice Aide
Hospice aides are certified nursing assistants who provide personal care to the patient, such as bathing, dressing or mouth care. They are available to ease the burden on family caregivers by participating in activities such as light housekeeping.
Chaplains
Chaplains offer spiritual care, counseling and support. They provide comfort during times of distress or crisis, and they can help facilitate meaningful conversations with patients and families. Chaplains respect and work with individuals of all faiths, including those who don’t identify as religious, to meet their spiritual needs.
Medical Social Workers
Hospice social workers provide emotional and psychosocial support to the patient and family. They coordinate the logistics of the patient’s care, working with insurance companies or the Veterans Administration and helping with finances, funeral planning or other tasks. Social workers are always available to lend a friendly and listening ear.
Volunteers
Hospice volunteers are specially trained in hospice care and end-of-life issues to provide compassionate companionship and support for patients and families. Volunteers are an important part of the hospice team. Their duties can range from visiting patients to crafting patient items to documenting patients’ life stories to helping in the office.
Bereavement Support
The bereavement coordinators address both anticipatory grief and loss after death. Hospice patients’ families receive bereavement support up to 13 months after a death, including consistent contact, support groups, grief education and one-on-one visits. Bereavement support is always available to those who have experienced the death of a loved one.
Why Choose Hospice Sooner?
Research indicates that hospice care improves symptom distress, care quality, caregiver outcomes, patient and family satisfaction. Hospice care data is associated with improved quality of life and longer survival rates.
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