The diagnosis of a terminal illness brings with it a host of questions, fears and concerns: “Will I be able to handle the pain?” “How will my family care for me?” “How can I afford quality end-of-life care?” And the question we hear most frequently: “Can I stay at home with my family?”

Faced with a life-limiting prognosis, some 90 percent of patients prefer to remain in their homes, using the bed they know, surrounded by family and friends, continuing the routines that make them comfortable. Whether they live in their family home, an adult living community or a nursing home, they want to age—and die—in place.

For terminally ill patients, hospice makes that possible. Hospice patients are cared for by an interdisciplinary team of hospice experts, including a physician, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers who provide medical care and spiritual, as well as social and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families.

“Hospice care typically is provided in a patient’s home. This allows the patient to stay in a familiar setting surrounded by family and friends,” says Rev. Jerome Weaver, MDiv, chaplain for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Cincinnati.

Yet the perception persists that hospice means going to—or ending up in—a place. Hospice isn’t a place. Hospice is a philosophy of care; it focuses on enhancing a patient’s comfort and overall quality of life during the last months of life. By treating physical symptoms and providing pain management, as well as addressing emotional and spiritual concerns, hospice can make the dying process more meaningful for patients and their loved ones.

When There’s a Crisis, There’s Continuous Care

But what happens when the patient has a medical crisis and experiences, for example, uncontrolled pain or severe confusion? Even then, hospice offers options to help the patient remain at home.

VITAS provides Intensive Comfort Care®—a service (referred to by the Medicare Hospice Benefit as “continuous care”) that puts a trained nurse or hospice aide at the bedside up to 24 hours a day. It means a hospice patient doesn’t have to choose between the comforts of home and care at a hospital.

“When the patient is most vulnerable to confusion or disorientation, VITAS Intensive Comfort Care® keeps her in familiar surroundings. She feels at home and calm, surrounded by her own things and with her loved ones near,” says Weaver. “Our staff also helps to ease the fears and feelings of helplessness family members may experience at such a time. The patient gets the care she needs, and the family gets the support and guidance they need, too.”

For information, go to www.VITAS.com, or call 1.513.742.6310.

Rhonda Robinson is Community Liaison for VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Cincinnati. VITAS (www.vitas. com) is the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care. A pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, VITAS has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in Ohio since 1993.