Hospice Care

Hospice care at Connecticut VNA Partners provides quality care for terminally ill patients wishing to spend the last stages of their lives at home with loved ones.  This continuous service “under one roof” allows our hospice specialists and trained volunteers to provide peace and comfort as well as physical, emotional, and psychosocial support for patients living with a progressive illness such as alzheimer’s, cancer, or diseases of the heart, lung, or liver.

Home-Based Hospice Services Include:          

  • Coordinated care with physicians and other service providers
  • Expert assistance from an interdisciplinary team
  • Professional guidance regarding medical, financial, and community services
  • Coping counseling and support for both the patient and family members
  • Complementary services to assist in the psychological needs of a patient

Interdisciplinary team

An interdisciplinary health care team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, home health aides, clergy, therapists, and trained volunteers all care for the patient.  The team provides comprehensive palliative care aimed at relieving symptoms and giving social, emotional, and spiritual support.

Pain and Symptom Control

The objective of pain and symptom control is to help patients achieve comfort while allowing them to remain in control of their life.  Side effects are managed to ensure that the patient is as pain-free as possible, yet still able to make important decisions. 

Spiritual Care

Hospice care emphasizes the spiritual needs of the patient and family. Spiritual care is individualized to meet specific religious beliefs of each patient. 

Home Care and Inpatient Care

Although hospice care can be centered in the home, it may be necessary to be admitted to a hospital, extended-care facility, or a hospice inpatient facility.  The hospice service can arrange for inpatient care and will stay involved in the treatment and with the family, resuming in-home care when appropriate.

Bereavement Care

Following the loss of a loved one, the hospice care team works with surviving family members to help them through the grieving process.  A trained volunteer, clergy member, or professional counselor provides support to survivors through visits, phone calls, and support groups.