"It is often an emotional decision for a patient or family member to choose hospice care as it means the patient is no longer seeking curative treatment and wishes to focus on the quality of their life, rather than the quantity of days in their end-of-life journey," says David Klementz, President and CEO, Traditions Health.

Fear might creep in when patients begin this path, as many questions accompany their decision. Traditions Health supports and walks with patients and their family members through every step of the hospice journey, making it easier for them. They offer the full-continuum of care providing home health, palliative care, and hospice services, during the patient’s journey. Often, this provides the patient and family with the comfort of the same personal caregivers at every stage.

Traditions Health’s services are well-structured to pay close attention to not only the patients’ physical needs but also their social and emotional needs as well. They provide spiritual counseling to focus on the all-around well-being of patients for their peaceful end-of-life journey honoring their beliefs, regardless of culture or religion.

Traditions Health works closely with their referral partners, including acute care hospital systems, post-acute facilities, and health care providers, to assist in caring for patients that could benefit from palliative or hospice care. Their hospice care team is led by the hospice medical director, who guides the hospice care team in developing a care plan to meet each patient’s needs. Their team of compassionate hospice nurses ensures comfort to the patient by assessing and managing their pain and symptoms and educating families on how to take care of their loved ones in the best way possible.
Traditions Health’s team has a medical social worker who provides information and resources to help patients remain safe and cared for in their homes. They also provide education and help set up community resources to assist with medical, psychological, financial, or social assistance.

Traditions Health’s physical therapists and physical therapy assistants collaborate with patients to develop a plan for improving mobility and decreasing pain in case of injury and run a safety assessment of the home to avoid accidents. For patients with difficulty communicating or swallowing, Traditions Health’s speech therapists work with them and their caregiver or care provider to create a treatment plan tailored to determine the best meal consistency to help them comfortably swallow food.

Traditions Health’s occupational therapists often assist low or poor-vision patients in performing usual activities, including bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and housekeeping. Their hospice health aide helps patients that need assistance with bathing, grooming, getting dressed, linen changes, and light meal preparation with personal care and activities to ensure comfort and dignity.

“Hospice is one of the most misunderstood benefits to patients in the country. Our goal here is to help patients better manage their symptoms at home, in a setting they’re comfortable in and the family can be a part of,” adds Klementz.

Their bereavement support team provides grief support to patients’ loved ones during care and after care while preparing them for the changes.
Traditions Health also helps to reduce emergency department visits, hospitalization, and rehospitalization for patients experiencing chronic disease by helping patients better manage their symptoms at home. Their disease-state clinical specialty programs focus on education regarding the sign and symptom awareness and management of symptoms in the home setting.

Traditions Health recognizes the importance of education regarding the benefits of hospice, and the value of gaining access to hospice earlier in the disease process. Traditions Health believes its experts can provide more support to the patients and their families if it joins them earlier in their end-of-life journey.