How Hospice Can Help

Lifetime Care’s array of better choices for end-of-life care allows patients and families to spend their final time together with comfort and dignity, receiving services focused on sustaining quality of life. By concentrating on relieving the suffering of those near the end of their lives, Hospice works to minimize pain and manage all of the other troubling symptoms of advanced, life-threatening illness. .

Lifetime Care delivers hospice care with passionate caring in the home, in skilled nursing facilities, and in our new Elizabeth G. and Jennifer J. Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center on the Unity Park Ridge Campus.

At any location, patients receive care in a home-like environment surrounded by family, friends, and professionals who share the goals of:

• Relieving pain and achieving comfort
• Enhancing quality, rather than quantity, of life
• Providing compassionate support to patients and family members
• Maintaining dignity

In addition to the patient’s physical well-being, we also address spiritual, emotional, and psychological concerns that may unsettle dying patients or their families.
 

Holistic care from the Hospice Team

Patients admitted to Lifetime Care Hospice receive care from a team of professionals who are specially trained to care for people who are terminally ill.

The Hospice team consists of the patient’s personal physician, a Hospice medical director, a hospice nurse, and a social worker. The team also provides the medications, equipment and supplies necessary to ensure the highest quality of patient care. Some patients and families receive home health aide services, pastoral care, volunteer assistance and caregiver support.

Medical Director—The medical director is a physician skilled in palliative care who serves as an advisor to the Hospice staff. The medical director serves as the liaison between the patient’s personal physician and the Hospice team.
Hospice Nurse—A Registered Nurse licensed by New York State serves as case manager for each Hospice patient, and this nurse is the patient’s primary contact with the Hospice team. Hospice nurses provide skilled nursing assessment and treatment for the terminally ill, and report the patient’s status to the rest of the team.
Social Worker—Each patient’s plan of care is reviewed by a social worker who provides emotional and psychological assistance, according to the patient’s and family’s needs. Through supportive counseling, the social worker can identify a variety of concerns associated with terminal illness and help patients and families through this difficult time.
Medications—Lifetime Care Hospice maintains contracts with a number of local pharmacies to provide the medications necessary for the comfort of Hospice patients.
Equipment and Supplies—Items necessary for the patient’s comfort and care are readily available, such as hospital beds and tables, bedpans and commodes, oxygen supplies, and skin care products.
Home Health Aide—Home health aides may offer assistance with the patient’s personal care, such as feeding, bathing and dressing. The amount of home health aide service is clearly stated in the patient’s plan of care.
 

Enriched Care from Lifetime Care

Lifetime Care’s palliative care services include Enriched Care for patients who may not be eligible for Hospice care or who wish to continue disease-oriented treatments. Through this program, we provide specialized symptom management for those with advanced illnesses whose prognosis is greater than six months.
 

Insurances Accepted

At Lifetime Care, we do not turn a patient away because of inability to pay or lack of insurance coverage. We accept:
 

• Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross, Blue Choice, Preferred Care, and many other health insurance plans that cover hospice services.
• We also work with other insurers and third-parties to cover our Hospice services.

For more information about Hospice Care from Lifetime Care, call (585) 214-1000.