November is recognized as Home Care and Hospice Month

Each November the home care and hospice community honors the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients and families they serve. These heroic caregivers play a central role in our health care system and in homes across the nation.

To recognize their efforts, both at home and in their local communities, OSF Hospice and OSF Home Care Services, along with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), celebrate November as National Home Care & Hospice Month.

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the need for health care will continue to rise, and costs will continue to skyrocket. This is where home care and hospice come in. As the preferred choice for most patients, it also offers the greatest cost savings. For example, Medicare pays nearly $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay and $450 per day for a typical nursing home stay. Meanwhile, home care costs less than $100 a day and helps many U.S. seniors remain independent at home, enrich their lives, and keep in touch with those they love.

Hospice is for patients of all ages with a life-limiting illness with a prognosis of six months or less to live, and who have decided not to pursue curative or life prolonging treatment but instead want to focus on comfort care. Choosing hospice care does not mean one is "giving up" on life, but they are choosing to invest their energy in living. The treatment goal of hospice is symptom management, comfort care and pain control.

OSF Hospice recognizes that each person's situation is different. OSF Hospice focuses on meeting the patient's and family's specific needs, so everyone can focus on what matters - quality time with loved ones.

The OSF Hospice philosophy is to provide care for the terminally ill and their significant others in the comfort of their own home or home-like surroundings. OSF Hospice care allows the terminally ill to live out their last days among the people and things they love, as comfortable and pain free as possible - with the following services:

• Diet & nutrition
• Family & caregiver support
• Grief counseling & support
• Nursing support
• Pain & symptom management
• Spiritual support

OSF Hospice in Alton encompasses residents within a five-county service area that includes:

• Madison
• Jersey
• Greene
• Macoupin
• Montgomery

Care provided in the home has a very important history at OSF HealthCare. Over 130 years ago, the founding Sisters literally began caring for people in their homes. Records indicate that some pioneer Sisters rode donated bicycles to the homes of those they cared for; others walked where they were needed.

In any case, OSF services, long before hospital facilities were acquired, began as care provided in the home.

The OSF quality of care patients receive in the hospital is the same quality of care OSF Home Care Services provide in a patient's home. OSF Home Care Services include:

• Case management
• Community referrals
• Diabetes management
• Disease state management/education
• Intravenous therapy
• Nutrition counseling
• Pain management
• Palliative Care
• Physical assessment
• Rehabilitation services (occupational, physical and speech)
• Restorative care
• Safety assessment
• Supportive counseling
• Telemonitoring
• Wound & Ostomy care
• 24/7 RN triage

Home care services are provided for patients of all ages with all levels of health conditions and needs. From adult rehabilitation to intravenous feeding to hospice services, home care is the fastest growing need in healthcare in the United States today.

The Sisters began their Mission in the home and OSF Home Care Services continues that tradition today by offering a choice for those who want state-of-the-art care, but the security and comfort of their own homes.

Both OSF Hospice and OSF Home Care Services celebrate our Mission of never turning away anyone who needs services, proudly provided "with the greatest care and love."

More information on OSF Hospice and OSF Home Care Services in Alton can be obtained by calling 618-463-5694, and by visiting www.osfhealthcare.org/services/hospice/or www.osfhealthcare.org/services/home-care/home-health/services.

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