A major misconception about entering hospice care is that all medical treatment comes to a stop.
In fact, Capital Hospice patients receive expert medical care, but with a different focus. Instead of seeking to cure the patient, the hospice team addresses a range of problems, from intense pain to depression, that dying people and their loved ones often experience.
The shift is from aggressively seeking a cure to providing expert pain and symptom management - palliative care. The goal is to help you and your loved ones to have the best quality of life possible during this important time.
Life-limiting illnesses often cause intense discomfort: physical pain, anxiety, restlessness, constipation, nausea, secretions, shortness of breath, and seizures, for example.
In addition, end of life is a time that generates intense feelings—anxiety, isolation, grief, and confusion—not only for the patient, but for everyone who loves that person.
Unfortunately, traditional medicine has proven ill-equipped to help in these areas. Most doctors, focused solely on cure, know little about how to manage pain and symptoms in patients with a life-limiting illness. And doctors rarely have the time or training to address the pain and suffering of the patient’s loved ones.
At Capital Hospice, specially trained health professionals work with you. Working together as a team, they take an holistic approach, looking for ways to help not only with physical, but also with the psychosocial and spiritual domains that become so important at this stage of life.
Capital Hospice health professionals are experts in palliative care, which involves taking care of the medical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the patient and supporting the needs of family members. Palliative care involves the whole person—body, mind, spirit, heart, and soul.
Almost always, the first priority is to bring the patient’s pain and symptoms under control. Once this is achieved, other concerns can be addressed:
More than a quarter-century of experience has shown us that addressing the entire range of issues makes a world of difference for everyone involved.
Hospice patients may require differing intensities of care during the course of their disease. Capital Hospice provides the four levels of care defined by Medicare:
Routine Home Care.
As long as the patient’s symptoms are under control, the hospice team
supports the caregivers in providing this level of care in the home setting,
whether that is a private residence, assisted living or nursing home.
Almost all Capital Hospice patients spend more than 95 percent of their hospice experience in routine home care.
Crisis Care.
In the event of a medical or psychosocial crisis, 24-hour care can be provided
in the home for brief periods.
Inpatient Respite Care.
Caregivers occasionally need to take short breaks to maintain their own
health. In this instance, the patient can be transferred to the Halquist
Memorial Inpatient Center, a Capital Hospice facility in Arlington, Virginia—for
a short-term (up to five days) while the caregiver takes a break. We also
provide respite care in select nursing homes.
General Inpatient Care.
When symptoms can't be controlled in a home setting, this level of care
may be provided in many hospitals or the patient can be moved to the Halquist
Memorial Inpatient Center for a short-term stay until pain and symptoms
are under control.
This level of care is also offered in select nursing homes. Patients residing in such nursing homes may be moved to an inpatient bed within the same facility. In all other nursing homes, patients may be moved to the Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center or to a nearby hospital for this level of care.
At some point you may need care that cannot be provided at home. When the need arises, Capital Hospice operates a facility offering short-term acute symptom management.
Located in Arlington, Virginia, the Halquist Memorial Inpatient Center is a well-equipped 15-bed facility staffed for specialized care. Patients, brought here by specialized medical transport, usually stay for less than a week.
Generally, a patient comes to the Inpatient Center for one of four reasons:
Located in a quiet residential community, the Inpatient Center is housed in a renovated elementary school building. Volunteer musicians regularly play soothing music in the halls, massage therapists visit patients to provide comfort, and volunteers sometimes bring in specially trained and certified pets to provide companionship.
Patients are also encouraged to bring meaningful personal possessions from home to decorate their rooms.
The award-winning, landscaped grounds include a garden and gazebo. The multi-purpose family room features homelike furnishings, a piano, a fireplace, and large windows with lovely views.
The Inpatient Center has open visiting hours: Visitors of all ages are welcome at any time. We encourage family and friends to visit frequently and stay involved with the care of their loved one. (Arrangements can be made for family members or friends to stay overnight.) Well-controlled pets that are important to patients are welcome to visit.
The Capital Hospice dietary staff serves three meals daily for patients, and the cafeteria is open to visitors. A family kitchenette enables loved ones to bring a favorite food from home for patients.
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