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Valley Hospice Celebrates Palliative Care Program

Valley Hospice is proud to offer the area’s only in-home palliative care program, Caring Connections Palliative Care. As the leading non-profit, mission-driven hospice care provider in the Ohio Valley, Valley Hospice is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community.

Palliative care, or “comfort care,” aims to help patients feel better and cope with the stress of living with a serious illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life of both the patient and their family. The palliative care team works to anticipate, prevent and relieve suffering related to a serious illness or the side effects of treatment.

“Home-based palliative care for seriously ill patients fills a critical gap in the health care system,” said Andrea Hale, Valley Hospice CEO. “It enables access to services that can prevent the typical pattern of preventable emergency department visits, hospitalizations, post-acute rehabilitation stays and early skilled-nursing placement.” Most importantly, palliative care mitigates the unnecessary suffering that accompany these events.”

“Community-based palliative care works because it starts by determining what patients (and their families) need and want,” added Hale. “The need is great, and the time is right for Valley Hospice to provide this valuable service for our community. Please contact us at 740.859.5655 to learn how Caring Connections Palliative Care can help you or a loved one.”

Valley Hospice joined hospice organizations across the nation in celebrating November as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of end-of-life care and recognizing the compassionate care provided to patients and their families.

Valley Hospice has been caring for patients for 38 years. Their specially trained, compassionate staff has cared for thousands of patients throughout the Ohio Valley, allowing them to spend their final months wherever they call home, surrounded by their loved ones in accordance with their wishes. Valley Hospice works tirelessly to provide patient-centered care for those living with a life-limiting illness-putting people over profits in every single instance. Valley Hospice maintains an unwavering commitment to providing care to every patient in need of their services, regardless of their ability to pay.

Valley Hospice is proud to offer programs that go above and beyond typical hospice care and further enhance the quality of life for the patient and their family; “A Hero’s Salute,” specialized end-of-life care and support to patients who have served in the military; “A Plan for Living,” advanced directives program; “Whispered Wishes,” a program that grants end-of-life wishes; “Meaningful Moments, resources for individuals and families dealing with dementia; and “Bobby’s Books,” using books to help build a child’s coping skills.

Valley Hospice also offers the area’s only inpatient care centers: Valley Hospice Mary Jane Brooks Care Center North, in Steubenville and Valley Hospice Liza’s Place Care Center South, in Wheeling.

To learn more about Valley Hospice, please visit our website at www.valleyhospice.org or call 877.HOSPICE.

Valley Hospice Offers Free Community Events For National Healthcare Decisions Day

Valley Hospice, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making – an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). As a participating organization since the start of the program, Valley Hospice is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will) in accordance with Ohio and West Virginia state laws.

“As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known,” said Robert Kolb, MSW, Valley Hospice social worker. “Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor wishes when the time comes to do so.”

Valley Hospice will hold a series of events to answer questions and provide guidelines for advance healthcare decision making.

Events and co-sponsors include: