Hospice River
Region
Hospice
provides end of life care to persons and families in
the entire New Orleans Metropolitan area and river parishes, including: Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish, St. Charles
Parish, Lafourche Parish, St. Bernard Parish, Terrebonne
Parish, St. James Parish, and St. John Parish.
The journey through life is easier with a compassionate guide and a warm hand to
hold. River Region Hospice provides this through choices, comfort and peace of
mind. This compassionate care is only a phone call away.
The modern concept of the hospice is still developing and there are different
ideas about what is involved. One commonly held view is that "hospice" simply
means "terminal care" and that patients should only be referred to a hospice
when they are near to death.
Experience shows, however, that
this approach is too narrow. Although the quality of the care given to the dying
is central to hospice work, the periods before and after the actual process of
death are just as important to the patient and his family.
River Region Hospice provides services to persons who meet the admission
criteria regardless of age, color, race, religion, sex, national origin,
physical or mental disabilities. This agency respects individual
patient/family values, religious preferences, individuality, privacy and
dignity.
"You matter because you
are who you are. You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not
only to help you die peacefully, but to live until you die."
Dame Cicely Saunders
Founder of the Modern Hospice
Movement
Five Principles of Palliative Care
Palliative care respects the goals, likes,
and choices of the dying person.
Palliative care looks after the medical,
emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the dying person.
Palliative care supports the needs of the
family.
Palliative care helps gain access to needed
health care providers and appropriate care settings.
Palliative care builds ways to provide
excellent care at the end of life.
Taken from:
Taylor, G. & Kurent, J. (2003) A Clinician's Guide to Palliative Care.
Malden, Massachusetts.
Hospice Care
Team
The quality of River
Region Hospice care is the result of those who do the
caring. A Hospice team consists of the following:
Physician Care - The
patient's attending physician is responsible for direction
of medical care and treatment. The Hospice Medical
Director is available to serve as a liaison between the
Hospice team and the attending physician.
Nursing Care - A Hospice
Registered Nurse is assigned to each patient to assist
with pain and symptom control and to monitor the patient's
changing needs. A skilled Nurse makes weekly visits to the
patient's home, with additional visits as needed.
On-Call Nursing Care - A
Hospice nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
to assist with pain and symptom control issues and other
urgent questions or concerns that arise.
Home Health Aide Care - A
Certified Home Health Aide or LPN is available to assist
the patient with bathing and personal care. Visits are
scheduled according to patient/caregiver needs.
Counseling Services - A
Hospice Support Counselor is available for counseling and
support of the patient and family and to assist with
accessing any community resources.
Spiritual Care - The
Hospice Spiritual Care Team is available to provide
spiritual support
to the patient and family or to serve as a liaison
between the Hospice team and the patient's faith
community.
Volunteer Services - are
available to provide a variety of services such as respite
care, companionship, transportation and assistance with
light housekeeping. Volunteers are arranged as requested
by the patient and family.
Nutritional Counseling - A
Hospice Dietician is available to the patient and family
as desired.
Physical Therapy, Occupational
Therapy and Speech Therapy - These services are
provided with physician order through arrangement with
contracted agencies or individuals.
Bereavement Care - Hospice
Bereavement Counselors are available for grief counseling
and bereavement support for 13 months following the
patient's death.
Arrangements for immediate needs
are made when the patient begins Hospice care. Hospice
staff assist the patient and family in developing a plan
of care and reevaluating the plan throughout their Hospice
care.
On Call Team
We have on call
teams available around the clock to answer questions, offer advice or to make a
necessary visit to a patient's home.
