We believe hospice care can be something more

Helping you manage your pain is about more than medication. Our hospice teams work closely with you and your family to develop a care plan specific to your needs.

The emotions you feel during this time can be overwhelming—but you don’t have to do this alone. We will be there to help you make sense of your emotions, and we offer professional grief counselling for both you and your loved ones.

Grief can sometimes make us question our beliefs, but it can also be a time of reflection. Our highly experienced staff can provide bereavement services and care for the spiritual needs brought on by a life-limiting illness. We can also help you to find solace in your faith, whatever your beliefs.

When family members and loved ones are caring for someone with a life-limiting illness, they can sometimes feel they have no time for themselves. If your family caregiver needs a rest or some time away to simply recharge, we can offer short-term relief.

People respond to the death of a loved one in a variety of ways. Our professional team of counselors and social workers is here to support families through their loss for up to 13 months beyond their loved one’s passing.

Any patient with a life-limiting illness with a life expectancy of six months or less may be appropriate for hospice care, including those with end-stage heart disease, COPD, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and cancer, to name a few.

Because hospice is based on a personalized care plan and not a specific location, most patients can choose to receive hospice care in the familiar surroundings of their own home. They can also choose to receive hospice care at a relative or a friend’s home, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home. If you are currently hospitalized or need specialized medical assistance, you can also opt to receive care in a hospital.

If your illness improves or you wish to seek curative treatment, you are free to leave hospice care whenever you choose.

A patient’s physician typically identifies when it is appropriate for the patient to consider hospice care. As a guide, people often enter hospice care when they’re diagnosed with a life-limiting condition and curative treatments are either no longer effective or create side effects that prolong discomfort or pain.

Hospice costs are covered under the Hospice Medicare Benefit, most Medicaid plans, and many private insurance plans. Most plans cover hospice care as well as medications, medical supplies, and medical equipment related to your hospice care.

Anyone can make a referral. The patient’s information will be taken, and the patient’s doctor contacted to discuss whether an assessment of the patient for hospice is appropriate.

The vast majority of Gentiva’s hospice providers are ACHC accredited.

We are honored to serve those who have served us. “We Honor Veterans” is a program pioneered by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that focuses on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgment for the brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our way of life.

The program includes:

• A focused admissions process, including specific veteran admission information
• A care team who identifies and meets the unique needs of veterans and their families, insurance coverage of care, and available veteran benefits
• An individualized plan of care that is veteran- and family-centered and includes the veteran’s military experiences
• Service recognition with special ceremonies
• Veteran-to-veteran volunteer programs
• Effort to replace lost medals and awards
• Emotional support and bereavement counseling

Learn more about our specialized hospice care for veterans.