HOSPICE CARE

Your Local Atlanta Hospice

Your Local Atlanta Hospice – Understanding Home Hospice Care

If you have been looking for an Atlanta hospice that is locally owned and provides in-home hospice care, we are here for you! Choosing the right hospice for you or your loved one is one of the most important and impactful decisions you will ever make. In the majority of cases, hospice care is provided at no out-of-pocket expense to the patient or family, as services are 100% covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial health insurance plans.

Many people naturally think of a hospice as its own physical location, with a building, beds, and staff of doctors and nurses. But Inspire Hospice is different. We are an Atlanta hospice that brings home hospice care to you, wherever you call home. Whether that’s your family home, a skilled nursing facility, an assisted living facility, or an independent living facility, here in the greater metro Atlanta area, we provide our home hospice services right where you are.

First of all, let’s talk about the importance of where your hospice team is located, as it’s not the actual physical location of our offices that matters most, but the location of your hospice care team that makes all the difference. You see, when you or your loved one has an acute problem and needs someone from your hospice team to be at the bedside, you want to have a reasonable idea of how long it will take your nurse or other hospice team member to reach you.

If you have round-the-clock hospice care, you don’t want your hospice team members having to deal with long commutes or frequent traffic problems. Our standard is to assure you that one of your Atlanta hospice team members is no more than a half-hour away from you, at any hour of the day or night.

Hospice care begins with a referral from the patient’s personal physician, although patients can be referred to us by their families or even make the request themselves. One of our hospice nurses evaluates what the patient and the family require, including medical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs as well as other types of support. Our hospice nurse then develops a care plan and coordinates the care team with a hospice physician and other health professionals.

You may have already noticed that we place critical importance on the concept of a hospice “team” rather than relying solely on one or two individuals. The team itself is interdisciplinary. This means team members come from and have professional experience in many different areas and bring their unique expertise, advice, and knowledge to the table for the benefit of the patient. Your team works closely with the primary caregiver, the person chosen by the patient who serves both as the primary decision-maker as well as the main care provider throughout the patient’s hospice stay.

Team members usually include doctors, nurses, dietitians, counselors, social workers, home health aides, and therapists. Volunteers and clergy are often also included, and together with the core team, help the primary caregiver and the patient make necessary decisions. Your team is there to provide care, both for the patient and for you, and is never there to take control of the home or the situation.

For the best possible experience, your hospice must have a strong, collaborative working relationship with a qualified and certified hospice physician. Hospice physicians not only provide orders for necessary medication and treatment but also provide a professional assessment of the patient’s hospice care plan and serve to educate the care team. At Inspire Hospice, we pride ourselves on our stellar relationship with our caring, compassionate hospice physicians.

Every patient and every situation is different. Not everyone needs the same level of care, and the level of care needed may change while you or your loved one is in hospice. There are four levels of hospice care: routine, continuous, general inpatient, and respite care. The initial level of care is based on the physician’s determination.

Routine in-home care consists of intermittent visits by the hospice team, with the patient relying on the primary caregiver for most of their daily care. Continuous bedside care involves a member of the hospice team being at the bedside for the patient in the home setting. Sometimes situations can arise that require the patient to be admitted to an inpatient facility so more specialized care and aggressive symptom management can be administered. Respite care is for the benefit of caregivers or family members who find themselves physically and/or emotionally exhausted by the demands of 24/7 caregiving responsibilities.

Services will look different from patient to patient, depending on the level of care required. For someone who is receiving routine home care, that would include such services as assistance with the daily care of the patient with the help of a nursing assistant, round-the-clock RN availability, physician consultation and oversight, volunteers for support and companionship, help with advanced care planning, as well as counseling and spiritual support. Services can even include help with household chores such as vacuuming, sweeping, laundry, dishwashing, making beds, and changing linens.

From the moment you make the decision for you or your loved one to enter Atlanta hospice care and have completed the evaluation by our Inspire Hospice nurse, you can be assured that you, the patient, and your family will have the professional, caring, compassionate support you need for this part of life’s journey. Contact us today for more information and to speak with one of our nurses. We would be delighted to assist you!