What is Hospice?
When you or our loved one are faced with a life-limiting illness, San Diego Hospice is an important option to consider. This family-centered and holistic hospice program helps you to make the most of life by addressing physical, emotional and spiritual needs in the comfort of home.
Effective pain management is a central component in the physical care hospice offers. It empowers you or your loved one to minimize feelings of discomfort and spend time enjoying every moment of life more. Professional nurses and medical social workers work in collaboration with our entire team and under the direction of the hospice medical director and your family doctor to promote dignity, comfort, and safety through life care.
Hospice Patient
Family
Friends
Attending
Physician
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Chaplain/
Spiritual
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Therapies
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Volunteers
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Hospice
Aides
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Registered
Nurse
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Medical Director
- Certifies the terminal prognosis
- Assesses patient needs, manages symptoms, perscribes treatment
- Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team
Physical Care includes:
- Managing pain with medications
- Physical, Occupational or Speech Therapy
- Caring for wounds and monitoring vitals
- Keeping your personal physician informed and updated
As a person moves through the various stages of an end of life illness, it is common to experience a range of emotions. These often include fear, sadness, regret and anger. Hospice’s emotional support helps you to know you are not alone. Our dedicated professionals provide a safe outlet to express such emotions and help you to better develop or discover coping mechanisms. This makes it easier to come to terms with the final stage of life.
Emotional Support includes:
- Social work case management and referrals
- Counseling
- Support from dedicated volunteers
- Bereavement counseling for your family members
After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, many individuals question their views about the end of life and even an after-life. They may experience doubt or uncertainty. Many find comfort by speaking with a spiritual advisor. This person helps clients to find a sense of calm and purpose and renew their own beliefs, faith or inner peace.
Spiritual Care includes:
- Support for all clients regardless of their belief system
- Opportunities for one-on-one conversation, confessions or processing with the hospice chaplain
- Assistance in connecting or reconnecting with a house of worship if the client chooses
- Help with mending family or other personal relationships
- Providing resources including books, magazines, audiobooks or other literature to help with coping
Who Benefits from Hospice?
Any person with a life-limiting illness and a life expectancy of six months or less can benefit from hospice care in San Diego. As part of our admission process, Salus Homecare San Diego requires a physician’s certification for entry into the program. If you feel this might be the right program for you or a loved one, consult with your doctor.
Who Pays for Hospice?
Hospice care is typically covered by private insurance and Medicare, MediCal or the Department of Veterans Affairs. While many of these programs cover hospice at 100%, if you have private insurance, it is important to consult with your provider to get exact coverage details.
Hospice FAQs
To read more FAQs, click here. If you have any specific questions, feel free to call our 24/7 hotline at (888) 725-8742
-
What equipment should I plan to have in the home before hospice care begins?
It is not necessary to purchase any equipment before your initial evaluation. Some clients do have a need for equipment, but if that applies to you, we will provide you with information about it. Our social workers can also assist you in obtaining any necessary equipment. In most cases, insurance or Medicare will cover the costs.
-
My mother has just made the decision to enter hospice care. How will the process begin?
Once your mother’s doctor has made a referral for hospice care, Salus Homecare San Diego will visit the patient to evaluate service needs. This typically happens within 48-hours of the doctor’s referral being made. A care plan will then be developed with input from the client, family members and the client’s physician. Once this care plan is in place, services typically begin within a very short period of time. All services provided will be clearly discussed, and you will also have a way to reach a member of our San Diego hospice team 24-hours a day and 7-days a week should you have questions or concerns.
-
Can a doctor pressure me into accepting hospice care?
The decision to enter hospice care legally belongs to the patient. A medical professional should never pressure you to accept this care option. However, when diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, many doctors will begin conversations about hospice care with their patients. When these conversations occur, it is important to get all of the information and make sure you understand all your choices before making a decision. It is sometimes a good idea to include family members in these conversations as your choices will impact them too.