Enter an E-Referral Hospice Care Services Our Difference Find Hospice Services Nearest You Contact Us Resources Specialty Programs In addition to providing compassionate care for patients and families facing any life-limiting illness, Heart to Heart Hospice created Specialty Programs to offer additional support to those dealing with specific conditions of end stage Cancer and Cardiac disease. Meeting Your Needs Our Specialty Programs are designed specifically to meet the needs of patients who have certain illnesses, while supporting and guiding their family members. Our teams of clinicians and caregivers receive special training to provide assessment, education and comprehensive care, along with a sense of security. Our focus is giving each patient the specialized care that is best for their circumstances. Our priority is to enhance quality of life through aggressive pain and symptom management, making you or your loved one as comfortable as possible. How Specialty Programs are Different Patients and Caregivers are the leaders of the team. Together with the specialist/attending physician and the team, you develop an individualized care plan tailored to your needs. This plan will address the issues that matter most to you and your family and will be reviewed weekly and adjusted as needed. Other Benefits of Specialty Programs: The option to remain at home (or wherever you reside) for as long as possible Aggressive pain and symptom management to avoid unnecessary return to the ER or hospital Respite care to allow your family members a break from caregiving Grief and bereavement support during care and for up to 13 months 24/7 access to care via telehealth and/or visits A Rapid Response team to provide immediate assessment and intervention 24/7 for those patients with severe pain and symptoms at the time of admission A Memory Journal to leave for loved ones A Self-Assessment Pain & Symptom Journal to improve communication with clinicians A Patient and Family Handbook Care Bridge Cancer Care When cancer is no longer controlled, regardless of treatment, Care Bridge Cancer Care may be the answer. This program addresses the unique concerns that accompany advanced cancer. As cancer progresses, patients and caregivers can often feel overwhelmed as they deal with physical challenges such as discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, while also coping with the emotional and spiritual pain cancer causes. Our team members are specially trained to provide the appropriate care: The nurse will assess your physical symptoms on every visit and will help you decide the best aggressive management approach. You will be trained on how to use Pain & Symptom Journal to document changes, so we can help stay ahead of pain and symptoms. The hospice aide will assist you with personal care and teach your family members how to help you. They will teach you how to use the Patient and Family Handbook for providing practical guidance and a view of what to expect. The hospice physician will work with your physician to ensure you are receiving optimal therapy. They will have access to Oncologist consulting purposes. The social worker can help you or your loved ones access community resources, completing advance directives and assisting with future plans. The spiritual care coordinator will provide spiritual support and can involve your personal clergy. Volunteers offer the gift of their time through companionship. They can help capture memories in the Memory Journal or help write down last wishes or special messages. In addition to the care team, Care Bridge Cancer Care provides: Medications that relate to your illness and promote comfort Durable medical equipment, such as oxygen and electric beds Disposable supplies, such as adult briefs, gloves and wound supplies If you want to learn more about the different levels of hospice care for yourself or a family member, you can find a Heart to Heart location near you or refer a loved one to our services. Care Bridge Cardiac Care Cardiac diseases continue to be the number one cause of death of Americans. Less than 18% of the 1.55M Medicare beneficiaries who received hospice services in 2018 had a primary diagnosis of heart failure. This translates to far too many people either dying in the hospital, dying alone or without comfort care and family by their side. When cardiac disease can no longer be treated effectively, a person’s symptoms can exacerbate resulting in ER visits or admission to the hospital. An alternative to symptom treatment in an acute care environment is Care Bridge Cardiac Care at home or in a residential care setting. With this specialized hospice care, we can help patients remain comfortably in the place they call home, addressing the unique symptoms caused by advanced cardiac disease. As cardiac disease progresses, patients and caregivers can often feel overwhelmed. Dealing with the physical challenges such as chest pain, shortness of breath, swelling; while also coping with the emotional and spiritual pain cardiac disease causes can be extremely stressful. You don’t have to go it alone! Our team members are specially trained to provide the appropriate care: The nurse assesses your physical symptoms and will help you decide the best management approach. You will be provided training on how to use Symptom Tracker Log in the Cardiac Patient/ Caregiver Guide to document changes, so we can help stay ahead of pain and symptoms. The hospice aide assists you with personal care and will teach your family members how to help you. They will instruct you on how to use the Patient and Family Handbook for providing practical guidance and help prepare you for what to expect. The hospice physician works with your physician, as applicable, to help ensure you are receiving optimal therapy. Our staff are trained on the use of home inotropic therapies and the possible disconnection of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) should that be approved by the physicians overseeing your care. The social worker can help you or your loved ones access community resources, including information on advance directives and assisting with future plans. The spiritual care coordinator provides spiritual support and can involve your personal clergy. Volunteers offer the gift of their time through companionship. They can help capture memories in the Memory Journal or help write down last wishes or special messages. In addition to the care team, Care Bridge Cardiac Care provides: Medications that relate to your illness and promote comfort Durable medical equipment, such as oxygen and electric beds Disposable supplies, such as adult briefs, gloves and wound supplies If you want to learn more about the different levels of hospice care for yourself or a family member, you can find a Heart to Heart location near you or refer a loved one to our services. Enter an E-Referral Hospice Care What is Hospice? Is It Time for Hospice Myths & Facts About Hospice Eligibility & Paying for Hospice Services Levels of Care Core Services Clinical Therapies Family & Caregiver Support Grief & Bereavement Specialty Programs Care Team Our Difference Why Heart to Heart Hospice? History of Heart to Heart Hospice Our Mission & Values Testimonials Accreditations Heart to Heart Foundation Find a Career Become a Volunteer News and Media Our Service Areas Contact Us Resources Patient & Family Handbook Blog