Prairieview Hospice Program Licensed

   Wishek Community Hospital & Clinics is pleased to announce its newest service to enhance patient care at all stages – Prairieview Hospice.  Hospice is a special kind of care for patients and families facing a life-limiting illness.  At the center of hospice care is the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our families will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so.  Plans and work have been underway for the past 18 months to establish this valuable program. 

   Hospice care is different than traditional medical care.  Hospice offers palliative care rather than curative treatment.  Hospice care focuses on pain and symptom control that enable the patient to live as fully and comfortably as possible.  Hospice treats the person, not the disease.  The hospice team cares for the medical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of the patient and family.  Quality of life is emphasized rather than length of life.  Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death.  It affirms life and understands that dying is a natural part of the cycle of life.  Hospice comes to the patient, providing care at home, including nursing homes and assisted living residences—wherever your home is.  Hospice staff is on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Hospice continues to care for the family, even after the death of the patient, by providing grief counseling. 

    Hospice Care Includes:

• Nursing services
• Physician services
• Home health aide and homemaker services
• Spiritual, emotional, dietary and other counseling
• Physical, occupational and speech language therapy
• Volunteer support
• Drugs for pain relief  and symptom management
• Medical supplies and equipment
• Continuous care during periods of crisis
• Grief and bereavement services

    The existing Wishek Community Hospital Home Health staff will provide the direct care for patients in their homes.  In addition, staff includes a licensed social worker and contracted services such as physical therapists and a dietician, as needed.   The patient’s pastor is also an integral part of the care team, caring for the patient’s religious or spiritual care needs.

   Hospice staff is available for home visits with potential patients and their families at any time to explain Hospice care and services.  For further information on available services or to inquire about an admission to the program, contact us at 452-3113.

  Information taken from “The Basics of Hospice Care” brochure by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 2004.

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