Harrison County Health Department

HARRISON COUNTY HOSPICE

Hospice care is for people who are nearing the end of their lives.  Hospice care is designed to relieve or decrease pain, or other symptoms, and provide as much quality time as possible with family and friends.  But unlike other medical care, the focus of hospice care is no longer on curing or treating the underlying disease.  The goal of hospice care is to offer as high a quality of life as possible during a person’s final days.

Hospice care is like no other: it exceeds the management of physical needs by caring for the patient as a whole while tending to their support system of family and friends.  A team of physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual counselors, home care staff and specially trained volunteers is committed to providing integrated care to address every need and wish of the patient and their caregivers.

Hospice care is appropriate when you can no longer benefit from curative treatment and your life expectancy is about 6 months.  You, your family, and your doctor decide together when hospice services should begin.  One of the problems with beginning hospice is that it is often not started soon enough.  Sometimes the doctor, patient or family member will resist trying hospice because he or she feels it sends a message of no hope.  This is not true.  If your condition improves or the disease goes into remission, you can be discharged from the hospice program and return to active cancer treatment, if desired.  Hospice care may be resumed at a later time.  The hope that hospice brings is the hope of a quality life, day-to-day, during the stage of advanced illness.

Hospice addresses two big fears a dying person may have---the fear of pain and the fear of being alone.  The hospice staff administers appropriate pain relief, provides nursing care, and offers plenty of reassurance and support to your loved one and family members.  Together, we can see to it that your loved one isn’t alone during this last and important phase of life.

Harrison County Hospice has been servicing the area since 1993.  To date, we have served 220 clients and their families, for not only cancer but other terminal illness’ such as Alzheimer’s disease, Heart and Respiratory diseases, and many other illnesses.  If you have any questions about hospice care, please contact us at the Harrison County Health Department.

Rhonda Stuart, RN
Hospice Director

Hospice 2006 Statistics

Skilled Nurse visits       496

Aide visits                       28

MSW visits                    139

Physical Therapy visits    30              

Number of Patients          31