At any time during a life-limiting illness, it's appropriate to discuss all of a patient's care options, including hospice care. By law the decision belongs to the patient. Understandably, most people are uncomfortable with the idea of stopping an all-out effort to "beat" their disease. Hospice of San Angelo staff members are highly senstive to these concerns and are always available to discuss them with the patient, family and physician.

The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at any time with their physician, other healthcare professionals, clergy or friends.

Most physicians know about hospice. If your physician wants more information, have them call our office at 325-658-6524 or the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Helpline, 1-800-658-8898. We are always honored to provide any information necessary to help facilitate a decision.

Certainly. If improvement in the condition occurs and the disease seems to be in remission, the patient can be discharged from hospice and return to aggressive therapy or go on about his/her daily life.

Once the referral is received, our admission team will be in contact with you and handle everything in accordance with your individual situation.

The admissions team will assess your needs, recommend any necessary equipment, and make arrangements to obtain it. Hospice of San Angelo has their own medical equipment company just so that these needs can be addressed quickly.

There's no set number. One of the first things a hospice team will do is prepare an individualized care plan that will, among other things, address the amount of caregiving a patient needs. Our hospice staff visits regularly and are always accessible to answer questions and provide support.

In the early weeks of care, it's usually not necessary for someone to be with the patient all the time. Later, however, since one of the most common fears of patients is the fear of dying alone, we generally encourage someone to be there continously. While family and friends must be relied on to give most of the care, we do provide volunteers to assist with errands and to provide a break for the caregivers.

Hospice of San Angelo patients are cared for by a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, home health aides, chaplains, therapists and volunteers-and each provides assistance based on their area of expertise. We also provide medications, supplies, and equipment as appropriate.

It's never easy and sometimes can be quite hard. At the end of a long, progressive illness, nights especially can be very long, lonely and scary. So we have staff available 24/7 to consult with the family and to make night visits as appropriate.

We do nothing either to speed up or to slow down the dying process. Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise during the birthing process, our staff provides presence and specialized knowledge during the dying process.

No. Although most patients are in a personal residence, many are in nursing homes and care centers.

Our nurses and doctors are up to date on the latest medications and devices for pain and symptom relief. In addition, therapists and specialists assist patients to be as mobile and self-sufficient as possible. We believe that emotional and spiritual pain is just as real as physical pain. Counselors and spiritual caregivers are availabe to assist family members as well as the patients.

Usually not. It is our goal to help patients be as comfortable and alert as they desire. We have been very successful in reaching this goal.

Hospice coverage is widely available. It is provided by Medicare and Medicaid and by most private health insurance policies. At Hospice of San Angelo, no one is ever turned away due to lack of insurance coverage.

We provide continuing support through individual and group counseling for family and friends for at least a year following the death of a loved one. We also provide support services for anyone in the community who has experienced the death of a family member, a friend, or a loved one through Building Bridges and our support groups.

Medicare covers all services and supplies related to the life-limiting illness for the hospice patient.

Hospice care is not an off-shoot of any religion. We provide chaplain services and serve patients and family according to their wishes. We would never require patients to adhere to a particular set of beliefs.

Our verbal patients report that 100% of their pain is controlled at an acceptable level within 48 hours of admission.