VITAS Innovative Hospice Care

 VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® works closely with patients’ attending physicians, and we partner with hospitals, nursing homes, insurers and community-based organizations throughout the country to enhance our ability to address the discomfort, fears and high expenses that often accompany an incurable illness. This collaborative approach meets the specific needs of the terminally ill and their families, promoting comfort and preserving dignity while offering options and choices that go far beyond accepted medical standards.

 VITAS’ Medicare- and Medicaid- covered, coordinated package of services includes all of the highly qualified professionals needed to deliver the hospice plan of care.

• Routine Home Care: VITAS provides residential care and has established partnerships with long-term care facilities and nursing homes, assisted living facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly.
• Continuous Care (Intensive Comfort Care): VITAS can provide shifts of hospice staff for a brief period to help the patient remain at home through a difficult time, rather than transferring the patient to a hospital.
• Inpatient Units: VITAS has special arrangements with local hospitals and other facilities where patients may receive necessary and appropriate inpatient care to address needs beyond what can be safely managed at home.
• Respite Care: Limited to five consecutive days, respite care provides a brief “respite” for the patient’s primary caregiver by admitting the home care patient to an institutional setting without meeting the “inpatient” pain and symptom management criteria. 

• Drugs, Equipment and Supplies: VITAS covers all medications, medical equipment and supplies required for comfort and safety to treat the patient’s life-limiting illness.
• Telecare: A VITAS nurse is just a phone call away 24/7/365. VITAS staff will also come to the home any time that is necessary to respond to crises related to the illness.
• Bereavement: VITAS provides effective support to meet the needs of family members and friends after their loved one has died, helping them to get through the experience of loss and bereavement.

 Our mission is to care for each person the way he or she wishes to be cared for and to continue learning from each person we serve. The VITAS team includes professionals, paraprofessionals and volunteers who are sensitive and responsive to individual patient and family needs:

• VITAS nurses are skilled in assessing and managing pain; they are trained caregivers who provide hands-on care. They provide education and support about the patient's illness and what to expect.
• VITAS social workers are available as friendly and skilled listeners to provide emotional support and help with problem solving, financial issues and planning.
• VITAS physicians work with the patient’s physician and are available for pain and symptom management consultation as well as to make house calls as needed.
• VITAS home health aides are available to help with personal care, such as bathing or dental and mouth care, and can help with light cleaning, housekeeping, light laundry, heating meals and short errands.
• VITAS chaplains offer spiritual support, working with the family’s clergy when available.
• VITAS volunteers are specially trained and an important element of the hospice team, available to spend time when they are needed most.
• VITAS bereavement specialists provide grief and loss counseling, memorial services and other support for family and loved ones.

 If you or a loved one has a serious illness, palliative care can help. A complement to the medical treatments your doctor is already providing, palliative care helps manage pain, alleviates symptoms to improve quality of life, and offers emotional and spiritual support as you deal with difficult medical issues.

• Help with pain and symptoms such as shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and sleeplessness
• Improved ability to carry on the activities of daily living
• Ability to continue receiving prescribed medical treatments and better tolerate them
• Help in navigating the healthcare system
• Better understanding of your condition and available choices for your care
• Emotional and spiritual support