We’re With You Every Step of the Way is contributed by WhidbeyHealth, and is published in the 2024 Fall/Winter Edition of Vibrant Senior Options Resource Guide Magazine.
As friends, family, or loved ones age, unexpected events can derail even the healthiest person. Often friends and family need to step in and support when they least expect it. When thinking about your life’s health journey, it is important to learn what Palliative Care and Hospice services are and when and how you should take advantage of these valuable and specialized services.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical approach – helping people living with any serious or debilitating illness like cancer, congestive heart failure, lung disease, kidney failure, liver disorder, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or other forms of dementia.
At WhidbeyHealth we’re with you, and our team works closely with your primary provider, specialist, or hospital to provide the best supportive care for patients and families facing serious illness.
We're With You: What We Do
- Build a care plan that lessens the physical symptoms of disease, eases the stress of emotional and social worries, and helps you decide what kind of care is right for you
- Help you navigate the healthcare system and access community resources through coordination and referral
- “Patients with terminal illness who engage our Palliative Care team early, generally have an easier journey with better outcomes, especially when transitioning to Hospice.” – Carla Jolley, ARNP
- Depending on your needs, palliative care can be involved for a short time or as part of your long-term care plan depending on your illness journey.
- Palliative care focuses on treating you as a whole person and supporting your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
“Patients with terminal illness who engage our Palliative Care team early, generally have an easier journey with better outcomes, especially when transitioning to Hospice.” – Carla Jolley, ARNP
Depending on your needs, palliative care can be involved for a short time or as part of your long-term care plan depending on your illness journey. Palliative care focuses on treating you as a whole person and supporting your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
What is Hospice?
Hospice teams provide family-centered, holistic, and compassionate end-of-life care for people with terminal illnesses. They help manage pain and symptoms and provide medication and supplies, emotional support, and respite for caregivers. Services are appropriate when the patient, the patient’s family, or the physician determines the goal is comfort and quality of life, and there are no further tests, procedures, or treatments.
We’re with you: At WhidbeyHealth, our Hospice team works with each patient to determine their goals. Is the patient looking for quality of life or length of life? Ideally, a patient would be in Hospice for 3-6 months. During this time the WhidbeyHealth team will work with the patient to develop a plan based on their choices and circumstances. Hospice services are typically provided at the patient’s home, allowing them to spend their final months surrounded by loved ones.
“Often patients and families wait until the very end before introducing hospice and miss the opportunity to have the benefits, resources, and support available.” – Dr. Shana Fogarty
WhidbeyHealth’s Hospice is Medicare-certified, which means that patients on Medicare receive hospice services at no cost:
- Time and service of your Care Team; home visits to determine your needs and establish the collaboration best suited for you and your family
- Medication for symptom control; pain relief
Medical equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs or walkers, and medical supplies - Grief and loss counseling for the patient and loved ones; helping mitigate anticipatory grief and providing grief counseling for the loss
We're With You: Support Team
Our team supports patients and families with comprehensive expertise in the management of physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. For most hospice patients, “comfort care” means spending the last months of their lives within familiar surroundings with family, friends, pets, and relaxed routines. Patients who utilize WhidbeyHealth Community Pharmacy for their medications may have them delivered to their homes. Our teams are providing exceptional service and improving care, one patient at a time.
Insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers typically cover palliative and hospice services. It is similar to seeing other specialists such as a cardiologist. Your primary care physician or specialist can refer you to Palliative Care and/or Hospice services, or you can contact us directly.
