 The Safe Haven team helps terminally ill patients have control over
their medical care and manage their pain. The goal is help make
patients' final days comfortable and meaningful.Hospice care,
which is covered by Medicare and most forms of health insurance,
requires a physician referral. The emphasis is on compassionate care
and relief of the patient's symptoms, rather than on curing the
patient.
Only about half of the Logan County patients eligible for hospice
care currently use the services, according to Greg Patterson,
executive director at Safe Haven.
"We want people to be aware of our services so they can determine
if hospice would be helpful to them or their loved ones," he said.
"Safe Haven's goal is to free our patients from pain, loneliness
and despair," he explained. "That gives patients time to complete
their life's works -- forgiving, seeking forgiveness, sharing love
and saying goodbye."
Hospice also helps families prepare for the passing of a loved
one by having medical, spiritual and emotional support available 24
hours a day, seven days a week. Bereavement care is available to
families for up to 12 months after the death of the patient.
Safe Haven is licensed by the state of Illinois and by Medicare.
Safe Haven hospice services are available in patients' homes and in
nursing homes.
The Safe Haven office is in downtown Lincoln at 628 1/2 Broadway
St. The staff can be contacted 24 hours a day at 732-5180.
Patterson is available to speak to local organizations -- at no
cost -- about myths regarding hospice care. His presentations also
include stories from his 10 years in the hospice field.
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Myths about hospice care
Myth 1
Hospice is for only for people who have a few days to live.
Patients are eligible for hospice care when a physician
determines they have six months or less to live if the disease runs
its normal course. Because hospice patients get substantial relief
from pain and other symptoms, they can choose exactly how to spend
their final weeks or months of life. This means they can share
quality family time and have a meaningful, dignified and peaceful
end-of-life experience.
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 Myth 2
Hospice heavily sedates people so they become addicted or sleep all
the time.
When patients have a legitimate need for pain medication, they
don't become addicted to it. Hospice has unmatched expertise in
managing pain so patients are comfortable, yet alert and able to
enjoy each day to the fullest extent possible.
Myth 3
Hospice focuses only on the patient.
Hospice helps families and friends prepare for the passing of a
loved one by providing medical and emotional support. Families are
even supported with bereavement care for a year after the death of
their loved one.
Myth 4
Hospice is a place.
Hospice is a philosophy of care, not a place. Patients can
receive hospice care wherever they live -- usually in their own
homes, but also in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Hospice serves terminally ill people of all ages, with all types of
progressive diseases.
Myth 5
Hospice is an organization.
Hospice is a health benefit covered by Medicare, Medicaid and
most other types of insurance. There are more than 5,000 hospice
providers in the U.S.
___
Source: Safe Haven Hospice, Lincoln
[Text from file received from Safe Haven Hospice]
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