Hospice care in South Jersey is about providing comfort and dignified care wherever you call home. Your personal care team works with you and your loved ones to manage your symptoms. Their goal is to manage your symptoms at home.
When symptoms are severe, unrelieved, or unresponsive to medications available in the home environment your care team may suggest inpatient care. Inpatient care provides 24/7 clinical supervision. The onsite staff of nurses and physicians can make adjustments as needed to keep you or someone you care about as comfortable as possible. It is important to know what you are looking for in a South Jersey inpatient center so that you can get the right care quickly.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin to think, “How I can find inpatient hospice care near me?”
When you have gathered your local inpatient care facility options, see the following list to narrow down your choices. Here are criteria’s recommended by Consumer Reports and other experts:
Is the organization a not-for-profit? More than half of U.S. hospice programs are for-profit, according to Medicare, and reports have revealed problems at some of those programs. Consider the hospice’s primary mission, which will be affected by its for-profit or not-for-profit status.
To help further narrow down your choices of inpatient care facilities near you, try asking for information about the following:
Services – Inpatient hospice care is an advanced level of care received at home. Find out what additional complementary services the hospice may provide. These may include pet therapy, music therapy, and more.
Eligibility and admissions requirements – Review their information to make sure that the hospice provides care in your geographic area. Discuss the requirements for determining if a you or your loved one should be checked into a South Jersey inpatient care facility.
Accreditation – Hospice organizations can become nationally accredited by independent not-for-profit groups such as the Joint Commission. These accreditations can help the patient know which health organizations are committed to providing quality health care.
Location – If you are looking for care location can be important. Being able to easily get from your home to the inpatient hospice facility provides a smooth transition for you. You might also consider the distance for your loved ones who may come to visit.
Costs and payment procedures – Find out what insurance will cover during a stay at an inpatient hospice facility. Discuss with the provider if there might potentially be co-pays or deductibles. Talk with the hospice to see if they are able to provide help for finding financial assistance, in the case that you need it. Carefully review any and all documents prior to signing agreement. Be sure to keep a copy of all agreements for your records.
Who is on the hospice team? – Get information about who provides patient care at the inpatient center. Find out the duties of each member on the care team so you know who you may direct certain questions to.
Care plans – Ask to see what a care plans look like. Ask how they might change when you need an inpatient visit.
Can I tour the inpatient facility?
How long can my loved one or I stay?
When can I return home?
Who pays for an inpatient hospice stay?
Who can visit us in an inpatient hospice facility?
What hospitals is the hospice partnered with?
Will the hospice provide the same level of nursing, social work, and aide care for each us as it does for those at home?
What is the organizations plan for local emergencies and inclement weather?
Does the organization provide language assistance services? For example for deaf or hard of hearing individuals. Or for those who are communicate primarily in a different language.