A home-like setting, often physically attached to a residential care facility, hospital or other type of housing, where hospice palliative care is provided on a 24-hour basis. This is a place for people with a terminal illness, who are in the last weeks of life, cannot stay at home, and need help with their pain and other symptoms. Nursing staff work closely with specialized hospice palliative care physicians and volunteers to provide care. Other team members, such as clergy, social workers and pharmacists, provide consultation.
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Q: Who do we call to ask about admitting a patient to a hospice?
A:
Call your local hospice palliative care team or physician.
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Q: What kinds of diagnostic and treatment options are available in hospice?
A:
Mobile lab services are available, if needed. Procedures such as IV medications and blood transfusions will not be available in hospice, but may be arranged via the ambulatory clinic or short stay on a medical unit in the local hospital, when required.
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Q: What is the alternative to IV therapy?
A:
Patients will not have IVs in hospice. If a patient requires hydration, fluids can be given with a simple method, under the skin (hypodermoclysis).
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Q: What is the expected length of stay for patients at a hospice?
A:
Anyone with a life expectancy of less than three months may be admitted. Currently, the average length of stay in a Fraser Health Hospice Residence is three weeks.
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Q: Can patients go to hospice for a period of time and then return home?
A:
Yes, patients who are having difficulty managing their symptoms at home may benefit from a short stay in hospice with the intention of returning home. Such patients would still be required to meet the admission requirements.
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Q: What is the difference between a Hospice and a Hospice Society?
A:
Hospice Societies are charitable non-profit organizations serving the community. A Hospice (often called a hospice residence) is a setting for care of people in the last weeks of life. Hospice societies partner with Fraser Health to enhance services available to patients and families, and in some cases are instrumental in funding and supporting Hospices.
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