Frequently Asked Questions about Hospice

Hospice care provided in the home for you or your loved one will be provided by a specialized team of physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, hospice certified nursing assistants, clergy, therapists and volunteers. All medications related to the terminal condition (including pain medication), supplies, equipment, personal care and hospital services are all supplied by Keystone. In addition, relief therapies such as massage, acupuncture, reading, reading, spiritual and grief counseling are offered by Keystone. Additional home help is available as needed.

It may be time to consider hospice care when aggressive efforts to treat a life-limiting illness or disease creates more distress, pain and harm than good. The hospice referral process does require a physician’s order, however, you or your loved one may suggest it at any time as part of your care options. Doctors may wait for families to bring hospice up. This is part of the reason that people often receive hospice care so late in the process. If you think you or your loved one and family might benefit from the support of weekly home visits from staff who specialize in pain control and the easing of distress, ask your doctor if hospice might be the right choice.

Those not quite ready for hospice care may benefit from our Keystone Transitions program with our sister company, Keystone Housecall. Care and treatment can be received in-home while still seeking aggressive treatment for illnesses. For more information visit www.keystone.health. 

Hospice isn’t a curative approach, instead it focuses on focuses on pain control and making the final days of you or your loved one comfortable. The Keystone team coordinates and supervises all care 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This team is responsible for making sure that all involved services communicate information. This may include the inpatient facility, the doctor, and other community professionals, such as pharmacists, clergy, and funeral directors. Hospice care assures you and your family that you are not alone and can get help at any time.

The ongoing expertise in geriatric and chronic illness care the nursing home staff provides is one part of the treatment plan. The other part is the hospice specialized pain and symptom management Keystone provides.
By working in tandem, you or your loved one will have all of their needs met.

Managing your loved one's pain and symptoms and addressing what’s important to your family is not giving up. Some people delay getting help because they simply don't understand everything hospice offers or they feel it's for the very end-of-life. Keystone Hospice will help your family cope with the physical, emotional, and spiritual impact of a life-limiting illness. With their expert guidance on what to expect in the coming months, weeks and days they'll explain all of your options. Your hospice team will manage all medications, supplies, and services to support your family as an illness progresses, and in assist in making the most of every moment together.

When active curative treatments cease to work physicians and patients turn to hospice. The focus transitions to providing comfort and on making each day count. Hospice provides palliative treatment and expertise in controlling physical symptoms to ensure you or your loved one remain comfortable and functional for the best possible quality of life.

All hospice programs make bereavement services available to family and loved ones for a minimum of 13 months following the passing of a patient. Services may come in the form of support groups, educational forums, phone calls, information on the grief process, as well as assessment of needs. We can also make referrals to community resources and/or assistance with memorial services.

At Keystone, our focus is on the entire family. We understand relationships of trust are established during the hospice process and feel recovery and grief support benefits from consistency. Your Keystone Hospice care provider will maintain contact with your family for at least a year after death. Many times the relationship continues for much longer.