Hospice

We offer hospice care for patients diagnosed with a life-limiting illness or condition and have a prognosis of 6 months or less. You can help your terminally ill patients achieve their goals by listening to their concerns, educating them about their end-of-life options, and offering your support. We are here to help. Whether you're a physician, nurse practitioner, member of a facility staff, hospital discharge planner, or other kind of healthcare provider, an understanding of how hospice works will allow you to offer your terminally ill patients a higher quality of life.

If you would be surprised your patient was alive six months from now, he or she may be appropriate for hospice care. Your next task is to evaluate your patient's needs and goals. An affirmative answer to one of more of the following questions indicates a call to Benton Hospice Service may be warranted.

• Do the patient and family understand the seriousness of the prognosis?
• Are the goals of care or treatment no longer focused on extending life?
• Is care shifting from curative treatment to comfort measures?
• Does the patient's pain or symptoms require more effective management?
• Does the family need a plan for additional caregiving support?
• Do grief issues need to be examined?

A "yes" to any of these questions may signal readiness or appropriateness. We are available to help determine your patient's eligibility for hospice care. If the patient is not appropriate for hospice care, we may recommend our Palliative Care program to provide some case management support. Our Transitions program is another option which will offer non-medical case support for your patient and their caregiver, and an extra set of "eyes" for you.

If you would like to consult with our medical director or clinical manager about a particular patient, please contact Lumina. Our nurses are also available to perform an assessment of your patient if needed. You may suggest an informational visit for your patient from a hospice nurse or social worker. You can also give your patients Lumina brochures to read.

Why are early referrals important?

Lumina's goal is to provide quality end-of-life care at the earliest appropriate point in a person's illness. We rely on you, the referring physician, to help guide your patients to hospice when the time is right to focus on comfort and pain management.

• Early admission to hospice creates opportunity for higher quality of remaining life for patient and family through pain and symptom management.
• Early admission allows hospice to provide calm transition rather than "crisis management."
• Early admission provides a family more support, less stress, and often financial relief throughout their loved one's last days. Hospice can help prevent caregiver exhaustion.
• Many special hospice services—massage, much needed respite for the caregiver, art, music or animal therapy, life histories—are most appreciated earlier in the illness.
• If a patient's condition improves, he or she can be discharged and readmitted at a later date.
• Help us help your patients achieve a higher quality of life at the end of their lives by introducing hospice as early as possible.