Guadalupe Regional Medical Center | Health Currents | Fall 2021

grmedcenter.com  | 3 For more information about LIFE Care or hospice care at GRMC, please visit our website at grmedcenter.com or call us at 830.401.7224 (LIFE Care) or 830.401.7561 (hospice care). Personal, individualized, genuine heartfelt care is crucial in every healthcare experience, and especially appreciated when a loved one has a serious chronic illness or is in their last chapter of life. GRMC provides two services to assist patients and their families in these situations: LIFE Care and hospice. LIFE Care LIFE Care stands for lifelong family emotional care. Charles Nolan, MD, and his team of nurses, counselors and chaplains provide palliative medical care for patients and their families who are facing cancer, lung or heart disease, kidney failure, or other serious diagnoses. The goal of the program is to improve quality of life, prevent suffering, and provide emotional and spiritual support. A key element of the LIFE Care program is that it is intended for people who are actively being treated for their condition in the hopes of a cure and of a prolonged life. LIFE Care can be instituted at the earliest stages of a disease, for months or even years, and works in conjunction with the patient’s primary care doctor. Hospice care Hospice care is also available through a GRMC interdisciplinary team, providing support and medical care for patients with a terminal disease. Families are often reluctant to pursue hospice care for a loved one, mistakenly thinking that it means that they are “giving up hope.” In fact, studies have shown that patients on hospice live longer than terminal patients who are not afforded that care. Hospice provides holistic, ongoing care at the home, nursing home or assisted living center. The focus is on the patient’s wishes, dignity, privacy and comfort while providing education and support to the family. Specific services include: • Skilled nursing care • Pain management and symptom control and management • Emotional support and spiritual support • Personal care THE BEST CARE for your loved ones • Observation and assessment of patient needs • Assistance with daily routines or activities • Caregiver education • Guidance on end-of-life decisions, such as advanced directives, do- not-resuscitate orders and funeral planning • Bereavement support and grief counseling Importantly, hospice care is FREE to the patient and family. Medicare, Medicaid and insurance all pay for these services at 100%, including medications and medical equipment. For patients who do not have insurance coverage, GRMC still provides the service at no cost, thanks to generous community donations that support this service.