We're sure you have many questions about Hospice and its services. We have assembled below some of the most commonly asked questions that may reflect your own concerns. Hospice of Burke County provides family-centered, compassionate care to terminally ill patients, allowing the patient to continue living in his or her own home as fully and comfortably as possible. With the understanding that the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of a terminal illness affect everyone in the home, Hospice cares for the entire family, providing support not only to the patient, but to the patient's caregivers and family members as well. Hospice of Burke County provides a comprehensive program of care to terminally ill people in Burke County.
Terminal illness suggests the patient has a prognosis measured in weeks and months.
Hospice of Burke County requires a prognosis of six months or less for eligibility. To qualify for Hospice care, efforts to effect a cure must have ended, there must be a primary caregiver and a referral from a physician must be made. Palliative care is defined as treatment which enhances comfort and improves the quality of a patient's life. The goals of intervention are pain control, symptom management, quality of life enhancement and spiritual-emotional comfort for patients and their primary care giver. Each patient's needs are continuously assessed and all treatment options are explored and evaluated in the context of the patient's values and symptoms.