Solari Hospice Care... a time for comfort
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Hospice is a concept of care whereby the quality of life is maximized when life cannot be extended. The focus shifts from curative treatment to palliative – providing comfort and emotional support.  The hospice team oversees the patient’s care in conjunction with the patient, the patient’s family, and the primary care physician.  This approach affirms life while regarding death as a normal process.  The hospice team assists the patient and family to integrate the experience of death into their lives.  By participating and sharing the death experience, a family is often able to reach a more complete and satisfying closure to this difficult and emotional experience.  In addition, the patient receives a gentle, supportive type of care that is focused on relieving pain and managing symptoms associated with the patient’s disease.  Key to hospice care is that the patient retains as much control of his or her life as possible, making choices based on his or her needs and beliefs.


In order to qualify for hospice care, two key requirements must be met.  First, the patient must have a terminal diagnosis with a limited prognosis.  At election of the hospice benefit, two physicians – usually the primary care physician and the hospice Medical Director – must agree that the prognosis will be six months or less should the disease run its normal course.  Second, the patient and the patient’s family must decide they no longer wish to seek curative treatment, instead they wish to seek palliative measures.  

If eligible for the hospice benefit, a patient is covered for an unlimited amount of time contingent upon established certification and recertification periods.
Hospice takes a holistic approach to the care of the patient, encompassing all aspects of the patient’s needs.  Hospice services typically include the following services:

  1. Physician Services – the patient retains his or her own primary physician who works in conjunction with the hospice physician.
  2. Skilled Nursing Services – Routine visits are performed by nurses who have received specialized training in hospice care, pain management, and symptom management.  Additionally, these nurses are available 24 hours a day for consultation.
  3. Home Health Aides – These individuals make scheduled visits to assist with the personal care needs of the patient.
  4. Social Services – Social Workers provide counseling to the patient and the family, assist with end of life planning, and identify community resources that may be helpful to meet additional needs.
  5. Spiritual Counseling – The Spiritual Counselors provide spiritual support to those requesting it, honoring the patient’s personal beliefs.
  6. Bereavement Counseling – These individuals assist the family in the grieving process prior to and up to one year following the patient’s death.
  7. Volunteer Services – Hospice Volunteers enhance the patient’s care by offering companionship to the patient.  Examples of services provided by the volunteer is reading, singing, or just sitting with the patient.
  8. Medications – The hospice provides all medications related to the terminal diagnosis.
  9. Medical Equipment and Supplies – These items that are related to the terminal diagnosis are provided by the hospice.
  10. Any other item or service listed in a patient’s care plan as necessary for the palliation and management of the terminal illness.

There are four level of care categories to reflect the variations in service intensity and location:

  1. Routine Home Care Level of Care:  Routine home care level of care is provided to enable the patient to remain in their place of residence for as long as possible and appropriate.  This level of care may be provided in the patient’s place of residence, such as the patient’s home, the family member’s home, or a nursing facility, assisted living facility, group home, or other type of facility that is the patient’s place of residence.  The majority of our patients are served on this level of care.  Our staff assists our patients in their homes or place of residence.
  2. General Inpatient Level of Care:  Short-term Inpatient Care may be required for pain management or to manage acute or chronic symptoms which cannot feasibly be provided in the residence setting.  General inpatient level of care is provided in a facility.  Patients requiring this level of care are placed in an inpatient environment until pain or symptoms are controlled.
  3. Respite Level of Care:  Respite level of care may be furnished as a means of providing caregiver relief for the patient’s family or caregiver.  Respite level of care may be provided up to five consecutive days on a periodic basis and is provided in a facility.
  4. Continuous Care Level of Care:  Continuous home care is only furnished during brief periods of pain or symptom crisis and only as necessary to maintain the patient at their place of residence.  Nursing and Home Health Aide services may be provided during periods of crisis as necessary to maintain a patient at home.  Continuous care may be provided for pain and/or symptom management.