Our hope is that you will let us walk the journey with you.  At Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT we provide expert care in pain control and symptom management so that the patient can life more fully and spend quality time with loved ones.  We know that each patient has desires, wants and needs.  We give you hope that your choices will be carried out.  We care for the whole family as well as the patient, with a team including nurses, social workers, chaplains and home health aides, depending on your needs and your choices.

We have received a lot of letters and comments from caregivers, speaking from their hearts about end of life and the service Regional Hospice and Home Care provided.  Here are just a few:

“Hands down, Regional Hospice was a gift.  Both of my parents received the best care, EVER.  We all received the best care EVER.  We could not have done this without this hospice.”

“The loving, compassionate treatment that my father received while at home dying—he told the caregiver that he made dying a pleasure.  How beautiful is that!?”

“Chaplain services as follow up were important for me.  Hard to move forward after several years of eldercare focus.”

“I hope Regional Hospice will be available to me when my time comes.  Danbury was excellent.”

Many individuals who die from cancer do choose hospice care.  Hospice care is, however, available to those with many different diagnoses including congestive heart failure (CHF), lung disease (COPD), and Alzheimers and related dementia.  At Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT, our primary goal is to help patients live their last months and weeks as fully as possible.

 Is hospice care only for old people?

 Although a majority of hospice patients are older, hospice care is provided to all patients, regardless of age.  Patients may enroll in hospice care when their physician and a Regional Hospice clinical staff determine that the illness is life-limiting with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less.  If the illness is not terminal, we are available to provide specialized home care, similar to a visiting nurse service, to assist with pain and symptom management.

 Is the Medicare Hospice Benefit limited to six months of care?

 Patients may enroll when their physician and the Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT clinical staff assess the illness to be life limiting with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less.  Patients may be recertified for continued Medicare coverage every six months.  With proper physician certification, hospice care recipients may receive care as long as is necessary.

 How can hospice care help the patient’s family?

 Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT focuses as much on the family and loved ones as on the patient.   In addition to care for the patient, we provide emotional and psychosocial support to the caregiver and the family, as they deem necessary. Home health aide service is very helpful in allowing one to maintain dignity and privacy, so that family members and loved ones are not responsible for bathing and personal care.  Extensive spiritual and bereavement services are also available to families of our patients as well as to others in the community. 

In working with patients and their loved ones, we find that our hospice can help redefine hope for those living with an advanced illness.  Hospice is the “something more” that can be done for both the patient and the family when the illness cannot be cured.  Hospice is a concept based on comfort-oriented care – it is another mode of therapy.  The primary objective of hospice care is to allow our patients to live their last months and weeks as fully as possible.

 Is hospice expensive?

Eighty percent of hospice patients are over the age of 65 and are entitled to services offered by the Medicare Hospice Benefit, which covers most aspects of hospice care with little out-of-pocket expense.  In addition, most private health plans also cover hospice care.  In general, studies have shown hospice care to be no more costly than other types of medical care.  Frequently it is less expensive than conventional care during the last six months of life.  Volunteers provide support and play an important role in patient care.

 Don’t all home care agencies provide end of life care?

 Hospice care is a specialized practice that involves a clinical team and volunteers.  Not all home care agencies are Medicare certified hospice providers.  Others may offer care to patients with serious illness, but end of life care is not their specialty and the services are not as comprehensive as a hospice certified agency.    Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT has special expertise in holistic care of patients and their families, providing not only medical care but also social, psychological, and spiritual support given by an interdisciplinary team that includes a nurse, social worker, spiritual/bereavement professional, and others.

 When should a decision be made about hospice care, and who can make it?

 Anyone experiencing life-limiting illness can call Regional Hospice and Home Care to discuss the role we can play in their care. Patients may enroll in hospice care when their physician and a Regional Hospice clinical staff determine that the illness is life limiting with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less. If the illness is not terminal, we are available to provide specialized home care, similar to a visiting nurse service, to assist with pain and symptom management. The decision to choose Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT for care is made by the patient in coordination with their family and physician.

To the Editor:

November was National Hospice and Palliative Care month, and we at Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT, Inc. are forever mindful of the importance of providing compassionate and expert care to the patients and families we are entrusted to serve, and we are thankful for the opportunity to do so.

Our programs and services bring real hope to our patients and their families as they face advanced illnesses. This year, Regional Hospice and Home Care supported more than 500 hospice and palliative care patients with more than 30,000 clinical care visits and 21,000 patient days of care.

We also provided more than 3,0000 bereavement support visits at our award winning Healing Hearts Center for Grieving Children & Families. Here, both children and adults are welcomed and encouraged to attend age-appropriate support groups, bereavement workshops and special events that  provide  support  and equip them with needed tools as they rebuild their lives after the death of a loved one.

The holiday season can be bittersweet for those who are grieving. Memories of holidays past remind us of the loved one we are missing and the challenge of  incorporating our traditions and rituals in a way that can be healing and meaningful. Healing Hearts’ bereavement support groups are open to everyone in the community, and we encourage those who are struggling with their grief to use the services, including our workshops on holiday grief. It is truly more than a day… it is a season.

Thank you to all of the volunteers, donors, physicians, nursing facilities, hospitals, senior centers, schools and community groups who support our efforts to offer real hope to those facing advanced illness through patient-focused care, education, resources and advocacy. We support our patients and families as they discover what end-of-life care can be  — what can be gained, what can be realized and how hope can be recaptured.

Thank you for recognizing the important way that hospice and palliative care touches so many lives.

Debbie Ryan

Vice President of Counseling Services

Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT

“The doctors said he would not live because he had undergone so many surgeries,” explains his mother Eudiscelia. Regional Hospice nurses and social workers quickly got to know Ricardo, his mother and his grandmother as he waited for a transplant to save his life. The clinical team made regular visits taking blood tests, caring for him, and helping the family navigate the healthcare system.

“I would visit early in the morning,” says nurse, Joan Thorburn, Ricardo’s case manager. “I would find him under the covers and he was so used to having his blood taken that he just slept through it.”

In 2002 Ricardo received a miracle—a multiple organ transplant at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. After many months of recovery and extensive physical therapy, Ricardo’s condition improved and he was able to return home. Through it all, Regional Hospice stayed connected to Ricardo and his family.

“I remember every time Ricardo has been in the hospital, it has helped me that someone from Regional Hospice calls to see if there is anything they can do to help,” Eudiscelia says. “And when the hospital says I need someone to take his tests at home, I always tell them it has to be Regional Hospice,” explains Eudiscelia. “I feel more comfortable, taken care of…I feel I am okay. I want Joan!” she says.

“We have been strong advocates in the health care system for them,” shares Debbie Ryan, LCSW. “We have been the connection point through all of his treatments in Pittsburgh, Hartford, New Haven and Danbury. When a family goes through this type of illness, they are often in crisis. We have tried to make sure Ricardo, and his mother, get the help they need to manage what is clearly a very difficult situation.”

When asked how she copes, Eudiscelia acknowledges it is sometimes difficult. “It is hard when you have a sick child in the house,” says Eudiscelia. “When he was born it was a lot of pressure. Now it is okay, but it is not normal.”

After eight years and too many surgeries to recount, Ricardo is still frequently
hospitalized. However, when he is able to be at home, playing with his younger brother and cousins, Regional Hospice continues to provide palliative homecare to help with his complicated medical needs. “Ricardo has never known what it is like to not be highly clinically treated,” says Joan. “I think the longest he has ever been out of a hospital is three weeks,” she explains.

Eudiscelia acknowledges the extraordinary relationship with Joan, Debbie and the clinical team. “With Regional Hospice I have a family that is a part of my life and Ricardo’s,” says Eudiscelia. “I know that if there is anything I need they will do it for me and Ricardo.”
“Palliative care means many things to many patients,” says Joan. “With Ricardo and Eudiscelia it means a consistent presence through an ever changing medical environment. We’ve become like family to each other—and who better to care for your child than your family.”