Hospice Care

Hospice care provides holistic, highly specialized care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Unlike other medical care, the focus of hospice isn’t to cure an underlying disease. The goal is to support the highest quality of life possible for whatever time remains.

The Hospice Benefit provides access to an array of support for you and your family that addresses the medical, emotionaland spiritual needs that accompany a terminal illness including:

• Development of personalized plan of care based on ever-changing disease progression, needs, wishes and lifestyle
• Around the clock visits from Unity’s care team
• RN phone support 24 hours per day
• Expert pain and symptom management
• Emotional and spiritual support
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications, medical equipment, and supplies related to life-limiting illness
  • Medications for pain, anxiety, depression, shortness of breath and other symptoms?
  • Commode
  • Nebulizer
  • Hospital bed
  • Walker
  • Wheelchair
  • Incontinence and skin care products
  • And more…
• Lab and other diagnostic tests necessary to achieve optimum comfort care
• Short-term respite care at Unity Meng Hospice Residence or a skilled nursing home for up to five days at a time to provide caregiver relief
• Inpatient care at Unity Meng Hospice Residence (A room and board fee applies).
• Grief support

Hospice is for people with any serious illness that are seeking comfort care rather than a cure. Knowing when to consider hospice can be overwhelming. Keep in mind care can start as soon as a terminal diagnosis is given. Most people who receive hospice care say they wish they had started care sooner. Research shows enrolling in care early helps increase both quality of life and length of life. (link to studies). Hospice also helps ease the emotional stress on family, decreases the family's likelihood of experiencing complicated grief and provides peace of mind that they have done everything possible.

Here are some early signs and symptoms hospice care may be appropriate.

• Numerous visits to the emergency room or hospital for complications of disease
• Frequent calls or multiple visits to doctor’s office
• Increased pain, and current pain medications seem less effective
• Shortness of breath, even while resting 
• Significant, unintentional weight loss
• Spends most time in a chair or bed
• Needs assistance with eating, dressing, grooming, walking, taking medications
• Frequent falls
• Chooses to focus on quality of life and comfort rather than a cure for a disease/illness

Unity brings hospice care to you. Our care team makes visits anywhere you call home throughout our 14 county service area. Whether you reside in your own home or apartment, a family member’s home, Unity Meng Hospice Residence, an assisted living facility or skilled nursing home, Unity will be there to provide an extra layer of support.  

Hospice care is covered by Medicare and Medicaid. For those not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, most private insurance plans as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs include a hospice benefit.

While receiving hospice, your Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance policy continues to cover certain health services, treatments and medicines that are medically necessary but are not related to your terminal illness.

If you do not have health insurance and do not qualify for Medicare, financial assistance may be available. As a nonprofit organization, Unity offers CommUnity Care, a financial assistance program ensuring everyone, regardless of financial means, has access to quality end-of-life care. A Unity Billing Coordinator will work with you to determine if you qualify for CommUnity Care.

Prior to enrolling in Unity’s hospice program, we make every attempt to verify your insurance coverage to provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for you. A thorough review of hospice benefits will be shared during your admission visit.

You can change your mind and stop hospice care for any reason at any time. Similarly, if you stop hospice care and later want to return to it, you can do that, too. 

While most patients in hospice make an advance directive stating a preference to not be resuscitated or intubated, this is not a requirement.  

Unity is here to support you 24-hours per day, seven days per week. After “normal business hours”, simply call Unity at 920-338-1111. Our answering service will page a triage nurse who will return your call to address the concern. 

Anyone can make a referral to hospice – a patient, family member, friend, spiritual leader, social worker or doctor. After the information is received by Unity, our staff will contact the patient’s primary doctor to verify that the patient is appropriate for hospice. Early referrals ensure the patient and family can benefit from all that hospice care provides.

Oftentimes doctors wait too long to recommend hospice care. This is part of the reason many receive hospice care so late in their course of illness, missing out on months of personalized care and support to enhance quality of life.

If you think you and your family could benefit from the support of home care visits from a team who specialize in pain and symptom management, assistance with bathing and medication management, emotional and spiritual support, ask your doctor if hospice might be something to consider now, or in the near future. You can also call Unity now to request care. We’ll connect with your primary doctor on your behalf to ensure eligibility.  

All hospice agencies work within the guidelines set forth by Medicare. However, all hospice providers are not the same. There are differences often tucked away in the small details. Choosing a hospice provider is one of the most important decisions you will make for yourself, a loved one and your family.

Remember, you have the right to choose a provider. Ensure you receive the compassionate, quality care you deserve by using this checklist in evaluating and comparing hospice providers. 

Yes. Children and their families can receive hospice services beginning even before the child is born and continue, for some children, beyond the age of 21, depending on the symptoms. Kourageous Kids, Unity’s hospice program, is delivered by specialty trained staff who tailor services to each child’s age and developmental level, and to the needs of the entire family.

Sadly, more Americans die from heart disease than any other condition, including cancer.  All too often, people with advanced cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease, heart failure and stroke, and their families are not made aware of how hospice and palliative care provides holistic support to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.   

Unity is here to improve the quality of life for you and your loved ones facing advanced cardiovascular disease with our innovative, Advanced Cardiac Care Program, established nationally in collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). Together, we’ll prevent emergency room and hospital visits, by providing the care, support and information necessary to manage symptoms in the comfort of your home.