What do hospice volunteers do?
Hospice volunteers are an integral part of the hospice team. Watch this 5-minute video to hear personal experiences of hospice volunteers at Hospice of Michigan. Are you ready to become a hospice volunteer?
Hospice & Grief Info
Advance care planning
With advance care planning, you can ensure that your end-of-life preferences for medical care are honored, even if you are unable to communicate them yourself. Thinking about your wishes for end-of life care may not be easy, but it is important for you, your loved ones, and the healthcare professionals who care for you. Making…
When death is near: Signs and symptoms
Everyone’s life is different. Death is an individual experience, too. For some people, the dying process may last weeks. For others, it may last a few days or hours. A dying person’s experience may be influenced by their illness or medications, but certain signs and symptoms are common. Patients who begin hospice care earlier in…
Preparing for imminent death
Making plans for the end of a loved one’s life can feel uncomfortable, especially in the wake of a terminal diagnosis. But some practical planning is beneficial, and “putting one’s affairs in order” can be reassuring to the patient and their family. Practical matters End-of-life planning is most effective when the patient is engaged in…
When death happens at home
When a patient receiving hospice care dies at home, family and caregivers should not call 911 or emergency services. If you believe your loved one has died, call your hospice provider at the 24-hour call center number. A team member will come to confirm the death and assist with final arrangements. Final arrangements The hospice…
Volunteering for hospice
Volunteers are an integral part of the hospice team, filling roles that range from direct contact with patients to providing clerical and fundraising support for the organization. Hospices that participate with Medicare are required to use volunteers alongside their paid clinical and administrative staff.
How to file a hospice complaint
Options are available for patients and families who are dissatisfied with the quality of their hospice care. Please note that HFA does not have the authority to monitor or regulate hospice providers and is unable to assist with individual hospice care complaints.
The Difference Between Hospice Care and Palliative Care
Palliative care defined In broad terms, palliative care is any treatment or intervention intended to control pain or other distressing symptoms. In the context of hospice, palliative care focuses on quality of life rather than curing disease. All hospice care is palliative in that the focus is on controlling distressing symptoms, but not all palliative…
Grief is not predictable
When I speak or counsel people about grief, I am often asked questions such as: How long do you think he will stay in the anger stage? When do you think I will finally accept my loss? Questions such as this are based on what is called a “stage model” of grief. Early on in…
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Dread of holidays
After the death of a loved one, it is not unusual to dread approaching birthdays, anniversaries, or other major celebrations that will underline the fact that your loved one is absent. Important events can often trigger our grief.My client Jean, who lost her husband to cancer, taught me a lot about facing that dread. Jean…
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Grief and other types of loss
Typically, grief is associated with a person’s death, but it can be caused by other losses, too. People also experience grief due to the death of an animal companion, or non-death loss, such as the loss of a valued relationship, possession, ability, or activity. Grief can also be experienced as a result of impending or mounting loss, also known as “anticipatory grief.”
Support for children and teens
Like adults, children and adolescents face losses and experience grief. Loved ones die — grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends. The death of a beloved pet is often a child’s first experience with death. Other losses that do not involve death, such as divorce, family relocation, or a friend moving away, also may generate grief. As…
When you are grieving
Loss — especially the death of a loved one — is among life’s greatest stressors. It can affect you in physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, spiritual, and practical ways. Uncomfortable and sometimes complex feelings are natural responses to the death of a loved one. Everyone responds differently, but it is common to feel intense sadness,…
Trying to understand what hospice care is and how it can help? HFA has the answers.
Whether you’re a patient, family member, or a friend trying to determine whether hospice is the right choice, HFA is here. We provide guidance before, during, and after the important decisions are made.
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