Your Hospice Care Team : AccentCare (2024)

Each of our patients have a different story, and our priority is to meet them where they’re at. To be eligible for hospice care, a patient must have a six-months or less terminal diagnosis. Our patients live in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other locations. It is our privilege to provide care for our patients every step of the way during their end-of-life journey.

Our hospice medical directors determine and certify when a patient is eligible for hospice care. They lead the care team in developing each patient’s individualized plan of care and advise on updating it as needed during the end-of-life journey. AccentCare keeps any attending physicians (usually a primary care physician or a physician at the patient’s nursing facility) informed of care and prognosis as it changes over time. The hospice team physician can co-certify hospice eligibility if a patient does not have an attending physician. Our team physician will assess needs and determine the best management for symptoms and pain, including medication prescription.

Our patients’ attending physician assist with determining and certifying when a patient is eligible for hospice care. AccentCare keeps any attending physicians (usually a primary care physician or a physician at the patient’s nursing facility) informed of care and prognosis as it changes over time. The hospice team physician can co-certify hospice eligibility if a patient does not have an attending physician.

When someone has received a hospice diagnosis and has questions about how to enroll in hospice, our hospice care consultants (HCCs) are the perfect people to go to for answers. They educate on how hospice can be beneficial to patients and their families, as well as what types of support AccentCare can provide. Our HCCs answer questions about care and services, and are happy to meet face-to-face, talk over the phone, or drop off, mail, or email more information about the services we offer.

Our nurses are experienced in providing pain relief and symptom management and communicate regularly with the patient’s physician to update them on the status and the effectiveness of the plan of care so that any changes necessary can be made as the illness progresses. They also assist in monitoring medications and making sure all medical supplies and equipment are ordered. Our nurses work to anticipate needs and educate patients and families to help them understand the progression of illness and hospice plan of care.

Our hospice aides provide direct personal care designed to increase comfort and assist with needed activities of daily living. Aides compassionately assist with things like bathing, hair care, shaving, skin care, catheter care, and linen changes. They help with dressing and other personal care a family or personal caregiver may need. Hospice aides do not dispense medication, but do report back on patient status to the nurse and the rest of the IDG. A patient’s hospice aide will likely be the same each visit.

Facing a serious illness can be a time of stress, confusion, and strong emotions. Our social workers help patients and families navigate challenges that arise as a disease progresses. They provide direct therapeutic counseling and bereavement support and connect patients and families with appropriate community agencies within the local community. They collaborate with the hospice team to ensure patients and families are comfortable and have their needs met. Social workers are also integral to our Leaving a Legacy program, which focuses on helping patients find tangible ways to share their history with their family.

As a patient progresses through a terminal disease, their nutritional status, needs, and goals can vary and evolve. As you or your loved one’s condition changes, AccentCare’s registered dietitians can help answer any of the questions or concerns you may have about nutrition. Together, we can develop a nutrition plan that meets the patient’s unique needs and desires.

During private sessions with patients and their families, our music therapists practice music-as-medicine. The application of music therapy for hospice patients is a clinical discipline. Board-certified music therapists perform favorites songs or hymns for their hospice patients and familiar genres to ease pain, bring comfort and create connections. They use music to calm a racing heart or steady respiration rates. Music therapists also work with patients and families to create legacies of songs and voice recordings that memorialize a patient’s life. Music therapists are also integral to our Leaving a Legacy (LINK TO LL) program, which focuses on helping patients find tangible ways to share their history with their family. A music therapist holds at least a bachelor’s degree, plus an additional certification from the Certification Board for Music Therapists. Many AccentCare music therapists have advanced or graduate degrees.

AccentCare chaplains honor all faiths and religious traditions. Our chaplains are fully prepared to provide patients and families with spiritual support that speaks to their faith journey or beliefs and will honor individuals according to their faith tradition or wishes. Spiritual care can be provided to all who ask, including patients, families, partners, or friends. Our chaplains provide support, companionship, and can lead in prayer and spiritual readings. They also provide bereavement services and help with conversations about grief and loss.

Our carefully selected and well-trained volunteers work alongside our professional staff to support our patients and families. They provide comfort, non-medical care and compassion to our patients and their families. They perform tasks such as visiting or calling our patients and families, having conversations, reading aloud, listening to music together. They help at our inpatient centers as vigil volunteers or serve on our pet therapy team. Direct care volunteers are required to take background checks and participate in initial hospice volunteer training and basic orientation.
Learn more about our Volunteer Program.

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