What is Hospice Care & How do I qualify for it?
At Heartland Home Health & Hospice, we believe in redefining hope when it comes to hospice care and providing compassionate care to individuals and families facing the final stages of life. We understand that ensuring quality of life during this time extends beyond skilled medical needs. It also involves ensuring social, family, and spiritual needs are met as well. Heartland Hospice care is a specialized type of support that focuses on enhancing quality of life through a combination of comfort care coordination efforts through our interdisciplinary team of professionals. Our team includes medical care, emotional support, spiritual guidance, and comprehensive family and caregiver support.
As defined by Medicare, a person is eligible for Hospice Care once they have received a terminal diagnosis with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Unlike curative medical treatments aimed at curing illness or disease. Hospice shifts the focus to ensuring comfort, pain management, and dignity during the remaining time on this end-of-life journey. It’s about making the most out of each day, prioritizing quality of life over curative measures.
Our Holistic Approach
At Heartland Home Health & Hospice, we take a holistic and comprehensive approach to care extending beyond skilled medical needs to include social work services, spiritual counseling, bereavement support, in-home aide services, and dedicated community volunteers. Our interdisciplinary team approach is dedicated to creating a supportive atmosphere that nurtures both patients and their families throughout this difficult end-of-life journey.
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Social Support:
The focus within social care is to provide companionship and encourage mental well-being. We achieve this through conversation and connection focused communication as well as quality time spent together. Our social care provided at Heartland is a result of a combination of all disciplines including Social Work, Spiritual Counseling, Bereavement Support, and trained community Volunteers.
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Family Care:
Our passionate and dedicated Hospice team does not only focus on the care and comfort of the patients we serve, but also focuses on ensuring family members and caregivers feel supported through their grief journey as well. Losing a loved one can be a life-changing and unimaginably hard experience to go through and we at Heartland want to walk beside you on this journey. To do this, we offer social, spiritual, and bereavement support prior to the passing of your loved one as well as support extending 13 months following their passing. This support includes conversations, assistance with planning and preparation of funeral arrangements, as well as a Living Through Loss Group that is available to Heartland families wherever they are along their grief journey.
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Spiritual Guidance:
We understand that every person’s spiritual journey and beliefs are specific to them, and we meet the patient and their family wherever they are on their spiritual journey. Whether that leans more towards religious than not or vice versa, our spiritual care focuses on providing a comfortable spiritual presence during the end-of-life journey tailored to personal beliefs.
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Medical Care:
Through the dedicated effort of our Hospice Medical Director, Nurses and Aides, we focus on providing excellent comfort care during the final stages of life within the safety and comfort of your private home, wherever that may be. In providing comfort care at Heartland Hospice, we are striving to encourage physical well-being as we approach end-of-life. This is achieved through medication management and monitoring vital signs.
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Quality of Life:
When choosing Hospice care it does not mean giving up hope, rather it means redefining hope to focus on having the best possible quality of life during the remaining time. At Heartland Hospice we do this by not only offering numerous interdisciplinary services but by truly providing those services to the patients we serve as well as their family members and caregivers. It is a team approach like no other that’s main goal is ensuring the remaining time is spent making the best out of every day.
Comprehensive Care with Heart
Heartland Hospice takes pride in its interdisciplinary approach, ensuring that all aspects of care are seamlessly integrated to meet the unique needs of each patient and family. We understand that hospice care is not a ‘one-size fits all’ need, it is specific to every family and their individual needs. Since we approach hospice care with an interdisciplinary approach, we are able to truly customize the care plan to meet your family’s needs. When you choose Heartland Hospice, you choose a whole team approach to end of life care that ensure you and your family’s needs are met wherever you may be currently. Our hospice team includes skilled nursing, social work services, spiritual counseling, in-home aide services and bereavement support, along with dedicated community volunteers who provide additional support and companionship.
When you have previously thought of Hospice care, you have likely thought about care ending at the time of your loved one’s passing. However, our commitment to supporting you and your family extends beyond the actual passing of your loved one. At Heartland Home Health & Hospice, we proudly offer bereavement support for up to 13 months following the loss, helping families navigate the journey of healing with compassion and understanding. This support includes conversations, assistance with planning and preparation of funeral arrangements. Additionally, we offer a Living Through Loss Group that is available to Heartland families wherever they are along their grief journey. We recognize that losing a loved one is a transformative and incredibly challenging experience, and we at Heartland are here to walk beside you on this journey.
Making Informed Decisions
Are you unsure if hospice care is right for you or your loved one? We offer a free, no-strings-attached consultation to discuss our services and how they align with your needs and preferences. We believe in empowering families with information and support to make educated decisions to fit their unique situations, even if that ends up being a program other than Hospice Care. Whatever you decide, we are here to support you and your family!
Our Service Area
We have physical office locations in Rapid City, Belle Fourche, & Spearfish. However, we proudly serve patients and families throughout the Black Hills Area & surrounding communities. At Heartland, we are committed to being there for you and your family during this challenging time in your health journey, offering compassionate care and support wherever you may be. Whether you are currently living at home, transitioning to an assisted living facility, moving into a nursing home, or being discharged from a hospital and are unsure where your next home will be quite yet. We are here to help you navigate available options and choose the best one for you as well as your family.
Why That Matters
At this point you may be wondering, “That sounds great but why does that matter to me/my family?” or “Sounds great, but what does that really mean?” Our answer to that is we strive to provide you and your family with support every step of the way throughout this challenging end-of-life journey. At Heartland, we meet you where you are on your health journey and walk beside you on every step of the journey. Whether you’re currently receiving home health services and are noticing a decline in health, you are just beginning to consider hospice care for you or your loved one, or you have already made the decision to begin hospice care. Our team is here to provide you and your family with unwavering support and comfort.
If you are ready to schedule your free consultation, please reach out in whatever way is most comfortable for you. Let us at Heartland Home Health & Hospice meet and walk beside you along your health journey with care, compassion, and dignity every step of the way. For more information on Hospice Care or to learn more about all Heartland programs or services, please browse our website, stop by our office, or give us a call today!