Frequently Asked Questions
If your question was not featured below, please contact your local location for more information.
What is Hospice?
Hospice allows people to live beyond their natural dying process with modern medicine and technology, but the cost is often dignity, quality of life and the ability to pass at home with loved ones. Hospice does not speed up the dying process; rather, it offers time for patients and their families to grieve and accept the terms of death. Death comes naturally, but not alone in a hospital bed.
Hospice patients are served as long as their condition requires, and hospice professionals can give them and their loved ones a peaceful transition over a period of time.
When is it appropriate?
Hospice is for patients who meet the necessary medical criteria and have discontinued aggressive treatment. Reasons include treatment that stops working, more side effects than benefits, and no longer wishing to spend so much time in healthcare facilities. Hospice patients wish to comfortably let nature take its course while spending quality time with loved ones. They may still be active and occasionally even leave the home.
Where is service provided?
Hospice is a service most often performed at home with family. 24/7 care
can be arranged. Hospice comes to the patient, and teaches their families
how to care for him/her.
Patients can also be on hospice in some board and care facilities, including
private-fee skilled nursing homes. The service remains the same whether
at home or in a facility.
Who provides the care?
In most cases, our hospice medical director will assume the role of the patient’s primary physician. A nurse case manager oversees the care plan, keeping the patient comfortable and pain-free. An on-call hospice nurse is available at any time. The home health aide can help with personal care such as bathing. The hospice social worker addresses caregiver needs, helps with closure and family dynamics, and finds alternative placement if necessary. A hospice chaplain provides spiritual and bereavement support, and volunteers take over for caregivers who need a break.
How is service given?
The priority is comfort and pain relief. Patients have the right to decide which treatments they do and do not want. Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medi-Cal and most private insurances.
Explanation of hospice benefits is not an obligation to sign any contracts. The hospice team supports the patient and family throughout the process, until death and, for the survivors, 13 months afterwards.
Why Hospice care?
Hospice services in Redlands are unique in that we are a community-based non-profit program. Not being a large corporation, we are able to provide personal service adhering to federal and state regulations. We are proud of our reputation in the community as a caring, dedicated team. We strive to treat every patient with the respect, dignity, compassion and love we would give our own families.
Tell Me More
To learn more information about hospice as it may pertain to your needs, call for an explanation of benefits at home or at the hospice offices at Redlands Community Hospital. You’ll need a doctor’s order to begin hospice, but we will gladly go over your patient’s options with you. Just call 909.335.5643 or toll-free at 888.397.4999.