Does hospice provide any help to the family after the patient dies?
HospiceCare provides continuing contact and support to families for at least one year following the death of a loved one through its Grief and Loss Resource Department. Support groups are available to family members and friends as well as teenagers and children. • Does hospice provide respite care? HospiceCare relies heavily on the support of volunteers. These special people will sit with a patient when a family member needs a break. This is usually for a small amount of time. For larger spans of time or multiple days, the family can contact the patient’s nurse or social worker for referrals. The Hubbard Hospice House also can be made available for respite care.
Most hospices will provide continuing contact and support for family and friends for up to a year after the death of a loved one. Many offer individual counseling and bereavement and support groups for family, friends, and children, or for anyone in the community who has experienced the death of someone close to them. There are also special support groups to which individuals can turn, such as Compassionate Friends for parents who have lost children. The above information is derived from information provided by the National Hospice Foundation and from “Finding Your Way: a Guide for End of Life Medical Decisions published by Sacramento HealthCare Decisions. For more questions and answers, click on www.hospiceinfo.
