Why Hospice?

What is Hospice?

Hospice care is a special kind of care that supports family and caregivers as they care for their loved ones who are experiencing an advanced, life-limiting illness. Hospice of the Foothills offers a team to support and supplement the ongoing efforts of families and caregivers to help patients live a higher quality of life. Calling Hospice of the Foothills is not giving up hope - it’s asking for help to provide compassionate care for your loved one in the last phases of an incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible.

Hospice is available to anyone with a terminal disease with a prognosis of six months or less. A primary goal of hospice is to control pain and other symptoms so the person can remain as alert and comfortable as possible. Hospice care is provided to patients where ever they call home. Hospice of the Foothills does not act as the primary caregiver; we support the family and caregivers in providing care to their loved one.

Hospice includes a multi-disciplinary team of professionals including a hospice and palliative care certified medical director, hospice trained nurses, social workers, spiritual counselors, hospice aides, therapists, and volunteers working together to address the unique physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of each patient and family.

Our interdisciplinary care team under the direction of a physician enables the patient to live as fully and as comfortably as possible. Your personal physician is an essential part of the team.

Hospice stresses quality of life and is an alternative to aggressive medical or curative treatments.

Many people live longer under hospice care once the symptoms of their disease are being managed.

Hospice may be the right choice when:

  • The treatments for a disease are not working or are debilitating in their own right and life expectancy is six months or less.

  • ER visits or hospitalizations become more frequent and result in no real improvement.

  • There is a progressive, unintentional weight loss of more than 10% of the body weight over the past 6 months.

  • Recurrent or intractable infections are present.

If you or someone you know are living with some of the above difficulties, and are ready to choose palliative/comfort care, then talk to your physician or call Hospice of the Foothills at 530-272-5739.