Why Insist on Catholic Community Hospice
Nurse-to-patient ratio
Perhaps one of the first and best indicators of the sort of care you will receive from a particular hospice is its nurse-to-patient ratio. Catholic Community Hospice has one of the lowest nurse-to-patient ratios in the metropolitan area. While some nurses at other hospices try to do justice to a caseload of 15 to 20 patients, our nurses enjoy caseloads of only 8 to 12 . This allows them more time to care for the patient as well as the caregiver and to meet special needs as they arise.
Moreover, most of our nurses are experienced hospice professionals, taking personal pride and satisfaction in providing the very best of care to their special patients. As a result, our nursing team is very experienced in all aspects of hospice care, and our staff turnover rate is very low.
Pain management/palliative care expertise
A second thing to look at when choosing a hospice is the level of expertise the nursing staff has at symptom or pain management. Although pain management is a term widely associated with keeping cancer patients comfortable, it is equally important to those dealing with other illnesses.
The nursing team of Catholic Community Hospice, unlike almost any other hospice in the metro, is certified in both hospice and palliative care. That means they have received special training and certification in how to keep their patients comfortable to enjoy as high a quality of life as possible.
Compatible philosophy
The fact that Catholic Community Hospice is the only Catholic faith-based hospice in the metro should be an important consideration for prospective patients. Especially in the final months of life, Catholic patients often prefer to be cared for by people familiar with their lifelong beliefs, and by a staff that works closely with other Catholic agencies to ensure both medical and spiritual care in keeping with what the church teaches.
But many people of other faiths are attracted to Catholic Community Hospice as well. Many hospices stress spirituality and a holistic approach to medicine without any reference to God. Surveys show, however, that the vast majority of Americans consider their relationship with God critical, and at no time more so than in their final days.
Catholic Community Hospice professionals respect the faith of their patients, whatever it may be, and help their patients work not only toward peace and reconciliation within that faith tradition, but also with those loved ones they'll be leaving behind.
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th of May. Her full-time job is on-call nurse during the week for all of our patients. Due to several nurses being out due to illness in May Kathy graciously agreed to also work during the daytime hours and make patient visits. Kathy is a very compassionate and caring nurse to all the patients she sees. Thank you Kathy.