|
Patients First Return
to Top
Meeting
the needs of the patient and family is a top priority of South Coast
Hospice and Palliative Care Services. The entire family unit,
including the patient, family and caregivers is an integral part of
South Coast Hospice care team. The family unit is taught skills to care
for the patient in the home. The entire family unit is an
essential part of the decision making process.
Physicians Return to Top 
Dr.
Dallas Carter is the Medical Director at South Coast Hospice. He
directs the Plan of Care for each patient and regularly consults with
the hospice interdisciplinary team for each patient. Dr.
Carter
may serve as a consultant to the patient's personal physician in the
areas of pain and symptom management.
Dr. Carter has full privileges at Bay Area Hospital, and is
one
of the few Certified Palliative Care Physicians in the Nation.
Nurses
Return to Top
Nursing
Services include assessment of symptoms, pain management as well as
personal care. South Coast Hospice nurses are trained to
evaluate
pain and symptoms to provide services that alleviate the suffering
associated with terminal illness. South Coast Hospice nurses
provide patient and family education on care giving and end-of-life
issues. South Coast Hospice nurses make regularly scheduled
visits to patients. Hospice team support is available 24
hours a
day, 7 days a week.
Home Health Aides
Return to Top
South Coast Hospice Certified Home Health
Aides provide personalized patient care and respite for the
family.
Social Workers Return
to Top
Licensed
social workers enhance the meaning and quality of a patient's life by
providing emotional support to the patient and their family.
They
provide counseling in dealing with end-of-life issues, help with
advanced directives, and assist in understanding Medicare, Medicaid and
private insurance benefits. Social workers also help patients
and
families find and coordinate community
resources.
Chaplain Return to Top
The
pain experienced by a hospice patient can be emotional, spiritual as
well as physical. The patients and family members often find
it
helpful to speak with a Chaplain about the questions and anxiety
associated with the end of life. The South Coast Hospice and
Palliative Care Chaplains also help patients maintain contact with
their faith communities, as requested. All South Coast
Hospice
employees respect the spiritual and lifestyle choices of our patients
and their families.
Trained Volunteers Return to Top
Trained
volunteers work in harmony with the professional staff to provide
patient and family support. Trained volunteers offer patients
and
families a listening ear, a hand to hold and the presence of a caring
heart. Services offered by the volunteers are as varied as
the
needs of the patients and families. South Coast Hospice
volunteers receive 11 weeks of specialized training before being
assigned to patients and families. The expertise and
enthusiasm
of our trained volunteers are an invaluable asset to South Coast
Hospice and Palliative Care Services. For More information
about
becoming a volunteer click
here.
Bereavement Return
to Top
The
concerns of South Coast Hospice and Palliative Care Services does not
end with the death of the patient. Our services follow
family
and caregivers for 13 months following the patients death.
Bereavement services may include visits, phone calls, private
grief and loss counseling, bereavement support and education groups,
Light House Center program (support for grieving children, teens and
their families), and continued support of a trained volunteer.
To see the Community Bereavement and Education Center Calendar of
Bereavement Groups click
here.
|
