November Celebrates Hospice Services
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
More than 20 years ago, Ruth (who asked that her last name not be used) helped care for a man who was being assisted by the Kosciusko Home Health Care and Hospice, not knowing that one day her own husband would need the services of the hospice.
"I really liked what I saw. When my husband got to the place where he needed something like that, I called them," said Ruth. "He was terminally ill with cancer."
November has been designated "Hospice Month" nationwide. It is a chance for people to learn more about hospices and the services they provide.
Kathy Simpson, hospice director, said someone is referred to the hospice when the doctor thinks the person has six months or less to live.
She said, "This is a medical guess, only God knows. That six months is kind of a parameter that Medicare sets but they do allow service to continue as long as the patient needs care and meets the criteria. With (Ruth's) husband, he just amazingly kept going when people kept saying, 'How in the world?'"
Ruth's husband was under hospice care from June 1999 to February 2001.
"I can't say enough good about hospice," said Ruth. "They're just very caring, very professional. When you are in a situation like this, it just helps to know someone else cares. We looked so forward to their visits. It's just a highlight of the day. ... We felt real, real at ease with the nurses that came."
"The purpose of hospice is to deliver service in their home. We go to their home, or the nursing home if that's where the patient is, but we would assign a primary nurse. A nurse who would visit most often ... ," said Simpson.
Ruth said, "The hospice was a real blessing in our life. And they were never demanding, only suggesting."
Ruth said the hospice provided supplies as needed and a nurse or volunteer was available 24 hours a day. She said the respect, dignity and care provided was "very much appreciated."
Gary Lyons, Kosciusko Home Health Care and Hospice president, said, "The agency started back in '71. At that time, it was just Home Health Care. Then in '82 is when they applied for and received certification to become a hospice provider. We've been going ever since.
"We currently take care of, on an average, on any given day, we have about 21 to 25 patients."
The primary purpose of the hospice, he said, is to assist both patients and families in dealing with terminal illness.
"We assist the patients by symptom control. In other words, we try to make the patient as comfortable as possible. We try to improve the quality of life. We don't speak about death and dying, we speak about life. We try to get them to think about the good things in their life. If they've issues to be taken care of, we sort of push them in that direction. Let's get those issues cleared up, whether that's a family member they haven't spoken to, try to get that cleared," he said.
"As far as the families are concerned, we instruct them on how to provide comfort and care to their loved ones. We teach them about the disease process, what to expect. We're there just to listen. And, eventually, we just become an extended part of their family. I still have people come up who see me and talk to me or hug me or something like that because I became a part of their family for a few weeks.
"We teach the family how to take care of the loved one in the home, which we feel is important because most people would like to spend their last days in the home as opposed to a hospital or nursing home."
When the hospice began in 1982, "At that time, we had nurses who did both - home care and hospice - but because, and I don't know when this happened, the patient load or census, we now have three primary nurses, not including myself, who do nothing but take care of hospice patients," Lyons said.
"Depending on how ill the patient is, we may see that patient once a week or we may see that patient three or four, maybe five times a week.
"What most people don't realize is that if you're Medicare qualified, Medicare pays for the entire program. There's no out-of-pocket expenses.
"And insurance companies, if you're under 65, and you have insurance, most of the insurance companies have fairly decent hospice benefits. And we work with the insurance companies. If they pay less than what we normally receive, we usually accept that amount. Very rarely do we ever go back to the survivors and say, 'Well, the insurance company only paid this amount of the cost, will you please pay the difference?' We very seldom do that," Lyons said.
Kosciusko Home Health Care and Hospice, a not-for-profit organization, is a United Way Agency and recipient of K21 Foundation grants. Kosciusko County Commissioners also support the hospice.
"Without those three sources, we would have a tough time making ends meet," Lyons said. [[In-content Ad]]
More than 20 years ago, Ruth (who asked that her last name not be used) helped care for a man who was being assisted by the Kosciusko Home Health Care and Hospice, not knowing that one day her own husband would need the services of the hospice.
"I really liked what I saw. When my husband got to the place where he needed something like that, I called them," said Ruth. "He was terminally ill with cancer."
November has been designated "Hospice Month" nationwide. It is a chance for people to learn more about hospices and the services they provide.
Kathy Simpson, hospice director, said someone is referred to the hospice when the doctor thinks the person has six months or less to live.
She said, "This is a medical guess, only God knows. That six months is kind of a parameter that Medicare sets but they do allow service to continue as long as the patient needs care and meets the criteria. With (Ruth's) husband, he just amazingly kept going when people kept saying, 'How in the world?'"
Ruth's husband was under hospice care from June 1999 to February 2001.
"I can't say enough good about hospice," said Ruth. "They're just very caring, very professional. When you are in a situation like this, it just helps to know someone else cares. We looked so forward to their visits. It's just a highlight of the day. ... We felt real, real at ease with the nurses that came."
"The purpose of hospice is to deliver service in their home. We go to their home, or the nursing home if that's where the patient is, but we would assign a primary nurse. A nurse who would visit most often ... ," said Simpson.
Ruth said, "The hospice was a real blessing in our life. And they were never demanding, only suggesting."
Ruth said the hospice provided supplies as needed and a nurse or volunteer was available 24 hours a day. She said the respect, dignity and care provided was "very much appreciated."
Gary Lyons, Kosciusko Home Health Care and Hospice president, said, "The agency started back in '71. At that time, it was just Home Health Care. Then in '82 is when they applied for and received certification to become a hospice provider. We've been going ever since.
"We currently take care of, on an average, on any given day, we have about 21 to 25 patients."
The primary purpose of the hospice, he said, is to assist both patients and families in dealing with terminal illness.
"We assist the patients by symptom control. In other words, we try to make the patient as comfortable as possible. We try to improve the quality of life. We don't speak about death and dying, we speak about life. We try to get them to think about the good things in their life. If they've issues to be taken care of, we sort of push them in that direction. Let's get those issues cleared up, whether that's a family member they haven't spoken to, try to get that cleared," he said.
"As far as the families are concerned, we instruct them on how to provide comfort and care to their loved ones. We teach them about the disease process, what to expect. We're there just to listen. And, eventually, we just become an extended part of their family. I still have people come up who see me and talk to me or hug me or something like that because I became a part of their family for a few weeks.
"We teach the family how to take care of the loved one in the home, which we feel is important because most people would like to spend their last days in the home as opposed to a hospital or nursing home."
When the hospice began in 1982, "At that time, we had nurses who did both - home care and hospice - but because, and I don't know when this happened, the patient load or census, we now have three primary nurses, not including myself, who do nothing but take care of hospice patients," Lyons said.
"Depending on how ill the patient is, we may see that patient once a week or we may see that patient three or four, maybe five times a week.
"What most people don't realize is that if you're Medicare qualified, Medicare pays for the entire program. There's no out-of-pocket expenses.
"And insurance companies, if you're under 65, and you have insurance, most of the insurance companies have fairly decent hospice benefits. And we work with the insurance companies. If they pay less than what we normally receive, we usually accept that amount. Very rarely do we ever go back to the survivors and say, 'Well, the insurance company only paid this amount of the cost, will you please pay the difference?' We very seldom do that," Lyons said.
Kosciusko Home Health Care and Hospice, a not-for-profit organization, is a United Way Agency and recipient of K21 Foundation grants. Kosciusko County Commissioners also support the hospice.
"Without those three sources, we would have a tough time making ends meet," Lyons said. [[In-content Ad]]