Hospice

Hospice is a service that supports and cares for people who have a terminal illness along with their loved ones. Hospice works with patients when curative treatment is no longer possible and helps a person maintain his or her quality of life. Hospice care supports and educates the patient’s loved ones as well during this time. This special kind of care can be provided in the home, nursing home, assisted living facility, or the hospital.

Facing the reality that an illness is terminal can be terrifying for many people and some may think that choosing hospice means giving up hope. The hospice team understands that making the decision for hospice can be very difficult. By choosing hospice care, hope can start in one’s life by providing guidance for:

Quality of life
Accomplishing goals
Comfort
Personal closure
Business/affair closure

Hospice provides quality care for the whole person by:

Enabling the patient’s life to be spent with dignity and quality at home or in a home-like setting
Accommodating the patient and his or her loved ones’ physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs
Providing the best medical care, nursing care, and emotional support by using every means available to provide comfort and maintain quality of life

The hospice team includes the patient’s own physician along with the hospice medical director to coordinate the plan of care, nurses, social worker, home care aides, pharmacist, spiritual support such as clergy or the hospital chaplain, volunteers, and a massage therapist. A bereavement coordinator also helps families cope with changes and adjustments for up to 13 months after their loved one dies.

If you are interested in learning more, please talk to your provider or call us at 712-336-8709.

Grief Support Group held monthly at Lakes Regional Healthcare

Lakes Regional Healthcare Hospice offers a grief support group for those who have experienced loss and are looking for support and connection from others with shared experiences. The group is not just for people who have been in hospice, but for anyone in the community who is experiencing grief from the loss of a loved one.

The support group meets at the hospital’s Big Spirit Conference Room every second Wednesday of the month from 1:00 until 2:00. Each session includes topics to facilitate discussion and provide different coping strategies and resources. Participation in the group is free of charge and registration is not necessary. Those with questions can call 712-336-8709 and ask for Jean Johnson.