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1) What is Hospice?
2) Who Can Refer Patients for Admission to Hospice of Green Country?
3) Does Hospice of Green Country Only Serve Cancer Patients?
4) Who is Eligible for Hospice of Green Country Services?
5) Where Does Hospice Care Take Place?
6) What Services are Included in Hospice Care?
7) Who Takes Care of the Patient if Family or Friends are not Available?
8) Does Hospice of Green Country Provide Spiritual Support to Patients and Families?
9) What Do the Nurses and Other Staff Do During the Visits?
10) How Are Visits Scheduled?
11) What Do I Do in an Emergency?
12) Is Hospitalization Included in Hospice Care?
13) How Are Hospice Services Paid for?
14) What Kind of Services Are Available to Friends and Family after the Death of Their
Loved One?
15) How Long after the Death Is Assistance Available?
16) How Can I Help Hospice of Green Country?
17) What do I need to know about an Advance Directive for Health Care or a Living Will?
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 1) What is Hospice?
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| Hospice is a special kind of care for terminally ill people and their families that: |
- Treats physical needs of the patient as well as his or her emotional and spiritual needs,
- Concentrates on making patients free of pain and comfortable as possible so they can make the most of the time that remains,
- Considers helping family members an essential part of its mission,
- Believes the quality of life to be as important as the length of life.
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| 2) Who Can Refer Patients for Admission to Hospice of Green Country? |
- Physicians
- Patients
- Family Members or Friends
- Hospital Discharge Planners
- Clergy
- Long Term Care Facility Staff
- Other Health Care Professionals
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| 3) Does Hospice of Green Country Only Serve Cancer Patients? |
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Hospice of Green Country provides hospice care to patients who are in the end stages of any disease process. This may include (not limited to) cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), Parkinson's disease, stroke, liver disease, kidney disease and life limiting newborn conditions and childhood conditions.
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| 4) Who is Eligible for Hospice of Green Country Services? |
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Hospice is available for terminally ill people who have a life expectancy of months rather than years and no longer pursue further curative treatments. Hospice is available regardless of type of illness and regardless of age.
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| 5) Where Does Hospice Care Take Place? |
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The patient is seen by members of the Hospice Team in his or her home. At times, this may be the home of a relative where they are living or a nursing home. Care is primarily in the home when the choice has been made to remain at home in the comfort of familiar surroundings. If the patient needs to be hospitalized to control difficult symptoms or is a resident in a nursing home, Hospice of Green Country will continue to provide care in those facilities.
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| 6) What Services are Included in Hospice Care? |
| The patient and family will receive services according to the individual plan of care. An entire team of hospice professionals and volunteers work together with the patient and family, to provide medical direction, nursing visits, medical social services, and volunteer services. Registered nurses are on call 24 hours a day.
Also available as needed are home health aides, pharmaceutical services, chaplain services, dietary counseling and physical therapy services. Hospice of Green Country also provides durable medical equipment and medical supplies that are related to the hospice diagnosis. For more info see Hospice Services.
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| 7) Who Takes Care of the Patient if Family or Friends are not Available? |
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While most patients have family or friends who are available to take care of the patient on a daily basis, some patients live alone or do not have a caregiver who is able to provide the care. Through Hospice of Green Country's innovative and unique program, the Live Alone Program, the full array of the specialized end-of-life care services offered by hospice is available. This program is funded by Tulsa Area United Way, Rogers County United Way, faith communities, and other foundations, corporations and individuals.
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| 8) Does Hospice of Green Country Provide Spiritual Support to Patients and Families? |
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Yes. When desired by the patient or family, a chaplain is available to visit and provide spiritual support. This important part of Hospice of Green Country's service distinguishes it from other types of healthcare.
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| 9) What Do the Nurses and Other Staff Do During the Visits? |
| At each visit a nurse does a physical assessment and talks about any problems the patient or family may be having. They work closely with the doctor to provide medicine and care to control symptoms.
A hospice aide may be available to assist with personal care (bathing, shampooing, linen changes, etc.). An aide usually visits 1-3 times a week.
A social worker will visit to help in obtaining other community services, preparing an advance directive, making other necessary arrangements, or helping the patient or the family cope with changes occurring in everyone's life.
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| 10) How Are Visits Scheduled? |
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The number and time of visits is arranged by the hospice staff and the patient and his or her family. Every effort is made to schedule the visit according to the family's convenience. This may not always be possible due to the urgent needs of other patients.
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| 11) What Do I Do in an Emergency? |
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Call Hospice of Green Country. The hospice phone is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, either by someone in the office or by the answering service. The hospice nurse can determine what is appropriate. He or she may make an emergency visit or facilitate hospital admission.
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| 12) Is Hospitalization Included in Hospice Care? |
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Although hospice care is rendered primarily in the home, hospitalization is available under special circumstances. The hospice physician and nurse are available to help determine if hospitalization is appropriate.
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| 13) How Are Hospice Services Paid for? |
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Payment for services provided by Hospice is made by Medicare, or private insurance, or privately paid for. Hospice of Green Country provides services to patients and families regardless of age, race, religion, gender, ethnic background, or ability to pay. If the patient does not have hospice coverage, Hospice of Green Country services are covered under our Courtesy Care Program which is funded by memorial donations, contributions, will and bequests, foundation grants, fundraising events and the United Way. For more info see Courtesy Care.
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| 14) What Kind of Services Are Available to Friends and Family after the Death of Their Loved One? |
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Hospice of Green Country offers a full spectrum of grief assistance services. After the death has occurred friends and family receive helpful educational information about the grief process. Family and friends may receive bereavement visits and individual counseling on request. For more info see Grief Assistance.
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| 15) How Long after the Death Is Assistance Available? |
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Assistance is available for at least thirteen months and, when needed, for longer periods of time.
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| 16) How Can I Help Hospice of Green Country? |
| In order to continue to provide quality, compassionate care to all residents of northeast Oklahoma who need hospice care, Hospice of Green Country relies on individuals, corporations, foundations and the United Way for funding. Although Medicare provides reimbursement for many of our patients, many do not have a way to pay for expensive end-of-life care. Making a contribution to Hospice of Green Country enables us to continue to live our mission: providing quality, compassionate care to terminally ill patients and their families and to follow caregivers after the death to provide grief services.
While financial contributions are important, Hospice of Green Country also needs the donation of your time. Volunteering for Hospice of Green Country is satisfying and fulfilling.
For more information on how you can help, see Volunteers, Donations, or Wish List.
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17) What do I need to know about an Advance Directive for Health Care
or a Living Will? |
- Discuss your wishes at length regarding this important issue with your family members.
These conversations and documents do not have to be done in a lawyer's office, but can occur around the kitchen table or in the family room, during calm times, not in the midst of a healthcare crisis.
- Living Wills, a healthcare power of attorney - all forms of advance directives - are critically important. We owe it to those we love to record our personal wishes and preferences should we be faced with tragic health-care circumstances in our lives.
- Obtain an Oklahoma Advance Directive or Living Will form by downloading or contacting Hospice of Green Country at (918) 747-2273. When completing the form, be sure the two people who serve as official witnesses are of legal age and do not stand to benefit in any way from the signer's death. Download PDF file here. (Spanish version: download here).
- Once completed, make sure you distribute the Advance Directive among your family members, physician, health-care proxy, other health-care providers and attorney.
- We must talk now about our wishes should we not be able to speak for ourselves later. This will enable our families and healthcare providers to act with our wishes directing them, should that ever be necessary.
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