Hospice is individualized care for the whole person in the final stages of life. It provides pain and symptom relief. It offers emotional and spiritual support for individuals and families. It gives people a caring guide for a difficult journey.

Every individual’s care is based on his or her specific physical, spiritual, emotional, and social needs. In privacy and with dignity, hospice helps people experience peace and tranquility. Its focus is not on dying, but on living every minute left to the fullest. Our hospice team helps people and families explore and celebrate the joys of life. In preparing for a natural transition, our goal is to help individuals and families understand and accept death—to find closure.

In peace and comfort  
Hospice is usually provided in a home or homelike settings. Visiting nurses, home health aides, and trained volunteers provide a range of services and supports:

• 24-hour on-call skilled nursing
• Family-centered care and emotional support
• Pain management and symptom control
• Medication help
• Personal care
• Physical, speech or occupational therapy if needed
• Medical equipment assistance and training
• Coordination with other health services
• End-of-life planning and Advance Directives
• Emergency care planning and support
• Scheduled home care visits
• Telephone support
• Homemaker services
• Respite care
• Spiritual counseling
• Bereavement counseling
  

For anyone and everyone
Hospice helps people of every age, regardless of their setting. Hospice care can be provided to those in nursing, supervised, or medical settings in addition to those at home. 

Most hospice patients are referred by a physician. Commonly, a person’s life expectancy is six months or less. Hospice can started and ended at any point should a person’s prognosis change. 

Insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance plans cover the cost of hospice for those with terminal illnesses. Your individual insurance plan may have deductibles, co-pays, or limits. A benefits counselor at Connecticut Valley Home Care will help you understand the specifics of your insurance coverage before enrolling in the program. Many plans require a physician referral to our program. Call (603) 543-6800 for more information.