Alamo Hospice

About Us

We are characterized by a passion for providing extraordinary care and crafting highly individualized treatment plans for each of our patients. Our disciplinary team approach includes doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual counselors and others.

Our Philosophy

When the body suffers, the mind and spirit will too. Our mission is to serve the whole person.

Our Goal

Life is meant to be enjoyed, celebrated and appreciated in all its seasons. We strive to create physical, spiritual and emotional comfort so that focus can shift to family, friends and life goals.

Our Services

Alamo Hospice is Medicare and Medicaid certified and we accept most private insurance plans as well as private pay patients. Our services are available to everyone.

Our Role In Your Health Care Team

Your health care team is made up of your family and friends, your faith community, and your family physician. We see ourselves as part of this existing team and strive to work with those you are already comfortable with. This means keeping your personal physician informed and involved in day-to-day healthcare decisions in conjunction with our own medical director. If needed, our chaplains and counselors will partner with your existing faith community to provide spiritual support.

Our Role In Caring For Your Family

Hospice is unique in its commitment to the patient's family. Our counselors are available to family members as well as to the patient. This commitment includes providing bereavement care to family members for up to a year.

Hospice Care

When you receive a life limiting diagnosis, you have two options: the first option is to continue receiving medical care the way you always have and the second is hospice. You must make your choice with the knowledge that neither option will change the outcome. The question becomes which option will maximize your time and which option will make you the most comfortable?

Continuing with “normal” medical care means you are in and out of the doctor's office, laboratories, and constantly leaving home to seek care and relief from your symptoms, probably at a hospital. As your health deteriorates, this can be increasingly difficult and it takes a significant amount of time away from the people and things you love most. Generally, it will not extend your life, it just treats the symptoms.

Hospice brings all of the medical care to you. Our entire team serves you in the comfort of your home. And because we are specialist in end of life care, we have the expertise to appropriately help you and your family learn to live with the limitations of time your diagnosis forces on you. We also care for your family by providing professional social workers, counselors and spiritual advisors, as well as bereavement services for one year after death. Last, medications related to your diagnosis, medical equipment you need in your home and medical supplies are all provided by the hospice at no additional charge. There are no deductibles or co-pays.

Services

Hospice is unique in the spectrum of health care. Every other aspect of healthcare requires the patient to go to the healthcare provider and conform to their hours, practice patterns and rules. Hospice reverses all of that and puts the patient in charge. There are no referrals, no additional paperwork, no co-pays or deductibles and no waiting in someone's office. Everything is brought to the patient and our visits are scheduled around your schedule. Here are a list of our services, all delivered in your private home, assisted living facility, nursing home or other place of residence:

• Physician Services – Our medical director makes home visits as needed
• Nurse Practitioner – Our Licensed Nurse Practitioners make home visits to facilitate and expedite assessments and orders
• Registered Nurses – Our nurses make frequent and scheduled visits to assess your condition and make modifications to your plan of care as your needs change
• Licensed Vocation Nurses – Our LVNs make regular scheduled visits to assist with a wide variety of your needs, always under the direct supervision of our registered nursing staff and Director of Nurses
• Licensed Social Workers – Our LSWs meet with you, your family members and caregivers to coordinate benefits, explore conflict resolution when necessary, investigate potential resources and services you may qualify for, and to assess the impact your diagnosis is having on your family and caregivers
• Licenses Professional Counselors – Our LPCs are available to help you and your family address a wide variety of issues that commonly arise when a life limiting illness is identified. These may include grief, bereavement, acceptance, conflict resolution, caregiver exhaustion, emotional strain, depression and unhealthy thought patterns
• Chaplains – Our staff of chaplains are available to address spiritual questions and issues in this phase of life. They will work individually with you, or coordinate with leaders from your own faith community
• Dieticians – Our licensed dieticians assist our clinical staff to help with nutritional issues, lack of appetite and the impact poor nutrition may be having on comfort levels
• Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy – If your hospice diagnosis requires these services, we can provide them all in–home
• Home Health aides and/or Certified Nurse Assistants – These caring professionals are available to meet a wide variety of needs like bathing, feedings, repositioning and other services that do not require a licensed nurse
• Massage Therapy – Though not required, we include these services for many of our patients whose limited mobility, long hours of inactivity and lack of physical exercise make a massage a special gift
• Music Therapy – At our patient's request, we have musicians who will offer live music in the home to relax and refresh our patients
• Respite Care – Consistent with regulatory guidelines for criteria, Alamo Hospice will make arrangements for periodic, short term in patient care in a licensed nursing home to give care givers a respite from the strains of caring for their loved ones
• In Patient Care – Consistent with regulatory guidelines for admission criteria, Alamo Hospice provides in patient care when the patient's condition will not allow the hospice goals of comfort and palliative care to be met in the residential setting