OUR SERVICES
Adult and Pediatric Home Hospice Care Services
Notre Dame Hospice Care provides comfort, compassion, companionship, and support to patients nearing the end of life and their family members when a treatment or cure for an underlying disease is no longer available. Services are delivered by a dedicated team of health care professionals who focus on addressing physical, mental, social and spiritual needs to improve quality of life.
Hospice Care at Home
Notre Dame Hospice is a Medicare-certified hospice provider that has been delivering hospice services to individuals in personal homes, other nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, or wherever patients call home, since 2007.
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From that moment, we have been committed to the belief that there is a lot of living to be accomplished during the final stages of life.
Because of this belief, we bring a comfortable, compassionate and holistic approach to support while caring for individuals of all ages as they approach the end of life. The Notre Dame Hospice Team also provides companionship for those we serve and their families, helping to ease the transition for all involved.
This team is composed of:
- Physicians
- Nurse practitioners
- Licensed nurses
- Certified home health aides
- Social workers
- Spiritual counselors
- Specially trained volunteers
- Music and massage therapists
- Bereavement specialists
The Hospice Team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Who is Hospice Care for?
Hospice is provided for someone with a terminal illness of six months or less if the illness runs its natural course. A doctor may share with you that Hospice Care can help to enhance quality of life and care while managing pain and other symptoms that an illness may cause.
When are Hospice Care services needed?
There are many signs that Hospice Care may be needed. Some of the most common include having frequent hospital stays and calls to physicians; an increasing number of visits to the emergency room; experiencing more falls; having shortness of breath while resting; spending much of the day in bed or sitting down; taking more medication to decrease physical pain; needing more assistance with activities of daily living, including bathing, eating and dressing; or being told by a health care professional that life expectancy is limited.
Learn More About Hospice Care
Services Provided
At Notre Dame Hospice, we provide 24-hour, on-call availability to provide comfort and peace of mind to the patient and their family.
Areas Served
Our Adult & Pediatric Hospice Care Teams are available to care for individuals across a wide geographical area in Massachusetts.
Pediatric Hospice Care
Notre Dame Health Care is the only Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice Care provider in Central Massachusetts.
We Honor Veterans Program
Notre Dame Hospice participates in the We Honor Veterans program developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The program emphasizes specialized care for the Veteran who is in Hospice Care. Staff is trained in caring for the specific needs of Veterans and their families, especially in serving those from different military eras whose trauma situations differ.
In addition to providing expert medical care, staff members engage in community outreach through presentations and recognition ceremonies that honor Veterans.
Our Hospice Team is available to assist veterans with a variety of requests such as pinning ceremonies, special recognition for service, special military honors, and accessing other resources and benefits they may be entitled to.
Our volunteer coordinator works to connect Veteran volunteers to visit with our Veteran patients so they can share experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice
Hospice is a service that is provided in personal homes, nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, board and care facilities, or wherever a patient calls home.
Hospice Care serves anyone whose doctor has determined a disease prognosis of six months or less provided the disease process runs its expected course.
- Eligibility must be certified by the patient’s physician and the Hospice medical director.
- A patient will be eligible for Hospice indefinitely as long as they meet prognosis guidelines.
- There is no age restriction for Hospice Care.
- Many people associate Hospice Care with cancer, but only half of Hospice patients have cancer. Those in Hospice Care may also be dealing with CVA, end-stage heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS/MS, and AIDS.
Like Palliative Care, Hospice Care provides comprehensive comfort care as well as support for the family. However, in Hospice Care, the focus is no longer on curative treatments or prolonging life. Hospice Care focuses on comfort and achieving the highest quality of life for each individual.
We know that paying for Hospice Care is a topic that can cause stress. We’re here to help. Our Hospice Care at home is covered by:
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Most private insurance plans
Please contact a member of our team or your insurance company for more details.
Yes, our Hospice Care Team will work in collaboration with your primary care and specialty care physicians to ensure the best support possible.
While Notre Dame Hospice embraces the Catholic health care tradition, we are committed to providing services for patients and families of all faiths, ensuring dignity and respect for individual needs and choice.
Anyone can refer someone to Hospice Care, including:
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Family members
- Community agencies
- Priests, chaplains, or other religious leaders
- And the patient themselves
When you contact us, we will ask you a range of questions to determine how we can best support you or your loved one during this time. These questions may include:
- What prompted you to call about Hospice Care today?
- What have the last six months been like in terms of health history?
- When was the last visit to a PCP or clinic/hospital?
- Where do you or your loved one currently reside?
- Can you please provide your insurance information?
