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Characteristics
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- Hospice emphasizes quality of life for individuals and for their families. Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death: It affirms life and regards dying as a normal process.
- Hospice focuses on care that provides relief from distressing symptoms, not cure of the disease. The goal is to make the patient as free of pain and as comfortable as possible so that the patient and family can make the most of the time that remains.
- Hospice provides services to people of all ages in the last months of life and with any disease.
- Hospice care is provided by a team of professionals and trained volunteers who support the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the patient and family. The patient and family are always involved in making decisions about the care they receive.
- Hospice considers the patient and family to be the unit of care. Hospice of North Iowa staff support families as they care for the patient. Bereavement support is offered to the family after the death of the patient.
- Hospice care may be provided in the home, nursing home, hospital, assisted living unit, residential facility or the Hospice of North Iowa inpatient unit. Hospice provides care to the patient wherever the patient is staying and continues providing care if the patient is transferred from one location to another. Most often, patients are cared for in their own homes.
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