HOSPICE CARE FOCUSES ON QUALITY OF LIFE

Our mission at Hospice of the North Coast is “To provide compassionate personalized care to patients and families during the end-of-life transition.”  We focus on a patient’s quality of life and that of the patient’s family members.  This is a time of great stress, turmoil, upheaval, sadness, and a variety of other emotions, all of which can be hard to sort through.  Our philosophy is to respect the rights of the patient and family members, while striving to ensure that dignity remains intact and every possible ounce of quality care is realized.

Values

Life.  Quality of life.  When a life-limiting illness is diagnosed, the patient’s final days should be made as comfortable as possible and should be able to be spent at home, if that is the patient’s wishes.  Our goal at Hospice of the North Coast is to provide the patient with the opportunity to spend those last days with dignity intact, as the patient defines it.  We also believe that the patient should be entitled to stay in the home and remain a viable part of the family on a daily basis.  The patient should also have the right to participate in his/her care decisions about how to spend those final days.  Every person is different with respect to their beliefs, their desires, and their choices for their end-of-life journey.  Hospice care should focus on the patient’s wishes, providing the best possible care for the last remaining days.

Care Objectives

Compassionate care and understanding of the patient’s beliefs and desires are coupled with an overall medical plan to best accommodate the patient during the end-of-life transition.  The care objectives should include:

• Physical care, relieving pain and/or other symptoms, so that the patient can live with the minimum possible physical incapacitation or mental distress.
• Emotional support for the patient and family members that will last throughout the course of the illness and beyond with grief support and counseling for family members
• Provide as much support as possible for the patient to remain an active member of the family for as long as possible.
• Grief and bereavement counseling for family members after suffering through the loss of the patient, even up to a year or more as needed.
• Provide an opportunity for family, friends, and neighbors to be part of a community-wide education process about hospice services.

Since 1980, Hospice of the North Coast has offered services to patients and families in need of critical quality end-of-life care.  In 1989, we were certified and licensed as an independent agency by the State of California and Medicare.  We continue to open our hearts and minds to fulfill the needs of the terminally ill and their families, to try to lessen the burdens, and offer the best quality of life possible during this very difficult time.