Patients and Caregivers
At Mount Carmel Hospice, we strive to provide the best, most complete, and most compassionate end-of-life care available for you and your loved ones. Your kind, thoughtful, skilled, and experienced care team will make sure you receive individualized care that’s not only unique to your needs but also respectful of your beliefs and values.
When It’s Time For Hospice
Many physicians and patients wait to seek hospice care until death is imminent. But it’s important to consider hospice as early in your disease as possible – long before you may need care. Fully understanding hospice care and the options it provides simply gives you more control and more choices in your end-of-life care. When referred and considered early, you also get more time to process those options and receive all the support available from the hospice team.
How To Choose A Hospice
Most people are referred to hospice by their doctor. But patients, family members, and friends can also make referrals. If you’re looking for a program, be sure to check with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization first. That’s because more than half of U.S. hospice programs are for-profit, which can create undue burdens on families. When you decide to look for a hospice program, it’s important to look for these attributes, facilities, and abilities:
- Not-for-profit status and 20 or more years of experience
- Hospice-certified nurses and doctors on staff and 24-hour-a-day availability
- Palliative care consultants who can begin care even if you’re not yet ready for hospice
- An inpatient unit, where patients can go if symptoms can’t be managed at home
- The ability to provide care in nursing homes and assisted living residences
- Medicare approval, which ensures Medicare will cover services, including equipment and home health aides as needed, plus counseling and grief support for the patient and the family
Mount Carmel Hospice Service Area
Mount Carmel Hospice serves the 7-county central Ohio area, including Franklin, Fairfield, Licking, Delaware, Union, Madison, and Pickaway Counties.
