Hospice Care in Your Home |
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Maximizing quality life is what Kansas City Hospice does for seriously ill patients who are focused on comfort, rather than cure.
Patients receive regular visits from the Kansas City Hospice staff, experts at making patients as comfortable as possible at home. Care can be most helpful to patients who have a prognosis of months, rather than years.
Care from Kansas City Hospice includes:
- Educating the patient and family on care needs, the disease process, nutrition, medications, physical changes and emotions.
- Regularly assessing the patient’s condition and comfort.
- Addressing pain or other symptoms and recommending adjusting medications when necessary to maximize comfort, conserve energy and enhance quality of life.
- Assistance with nursing procedures and other technical help.
- Coordinating care and communicating with the patient’s physician.
- Assistance with bathing, dressing and other personal care.
- Medications, equipment, oxygen and other needed supplies.
- Providing support to ease emotional and spiritual distress for the patient and family.
- On-call nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for questions and visits.
- Help arranging additional resources if needed.
Individualized Care From a Team
Kansas City Hospice works with patients and families to create a plan of care to meet their needs and adapt the plan as needs change. A registered nurse visits regularly, coordinates care and stays in communication with the patient’s own doctor. Our nurses have extensive training and specialize in caring for people with life-limiting illnesses.
Other team members visit as needed and desired. Most patients and families choose to receive care from several team members, who include social workers, home health aides, chaplains, volunteers, physical and occupational therapists. Art and music therapists, plus a child/teen specialist, also are available and can be especially helpful if there are children or grandchildren in the family.
The patient’s own doctor continues to direct and be involved in the patient’s care. Our physicians oversee staff and consult with the patient’s doctor, can be the primary doctor for patients who don’t have one and can make home visits if needed.
How Care Begins
Care starts with a phone call from the patient’s physician, a hospital or other health care staff member, a family member or the patient. Call 816-363-2600 to schedule an information visit to see how Kansas City Hospice can help and whether hospice or another program is right for you. Or, contact us online.
Payment
Services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance policies. As a nonprofit organization, Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care is committed to serving all in need, regardless of their financial resources. We help patients and families figure out insurance coverage or the need for assistance.
Resources
Download the Kansas City Hospice brochure.
Safe Passage is a series of booklets from Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care to help people understand and cope with advanced illness and related subjects. Learn more about the Safe Passage series and download the booklets.
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