Delaware Hospice

Our Promises

To Patients & Families

Referrals to Delaware Hospice: We’ll be there.  We’ll visit you in person, wherever you wish, within 4 hours of contacting us.  If you need to speak to a nurse after regular business hours or on the weekend, your call will be returned within 15 minutes.

With generous donations and volunteer support, Delaware Hospice–the only not-for-profit hospice in Delaware–will adhere to its mission of providing high quality hospice care.

We will serve as a resource to the community by offering unique programs, even beyond traditional hospice care, such as Transitions, a program for the seriously ill who are not appropriate for hospice care.

Delaware Hospice will provide comfort and support to the entire family while their loved one is in our care and bereavement for up to 13 months or as long as needed.

A staff member will discuss the unique children’s program, New Hope, to assist in preparing and coping with a loss of a loved one. We work together to help your child and family find the support they need during this sensitive time.

To Physicians

Our commitment to highest quality care is evidenced by the fact that 96% of our patients’ pain is controlled within 48 hours upon admission to Delaware Hospice.

We will provide education to your billing department to guide them through the payment process in order to decrease Medicare denials.

To Long Term Care Professionals

We will provide the C.N.A.’s weekly visitation schedule in advance, so your resident can receive the personal care they deserve and you are kept well informed.

Your check will be mailed within 20 business days of receiving your room & board invoice, ensuring prompt reimbursement for your residents.

Our Care Philosophy

Delaware Hospice celebrates life and advocates for peace and tranquility. Once an individual coping with a life-limiting illness moves from finding a cure to seeking comfort, Delaware Hospice provides relief, encouragement and resources. We believe the final days, weeks and months of one’s life should be lived with dignity, surrounded by the company of friends and loved ones.

The origins of America’s early movement toward embracing hospice care originated from an effort calling for kindness, care and friendship toward individuals coping with a life-limiting illness. British physician Dame Cicely Saunders and Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross each served as early pioneers of the hospice movement, making significant contributions toward educating the public about the unique needs of individuals coping with the end of life.

In 1976, Dr. Dorothy Moser, a faculty member of the University of Delaware’s Department of Nursing, heard a visitor from the U.K. speak about hospice at the Delaware Medical Association. She was so inspired, she decided to get some students involved, and took a journey with them in 1978 to visit a hospice in Sheffield, England. Dr. Amy Hecht was serving as the Chair of the University of Delaware’s Nursing Department when she began hearing about hospice in the late 1970’s. Their efforts, combined with a generous gift from the Episcopal Diocese, led to the founding of Delaware Hospice in 1982.

At the heart of hospice care is a passionate concern for individuals and their families coping with the most critical time of their lives. Delaware Hospice empowers individuals and their caregivers with education to provide comfort and personal care. Together, we’ll develop a care plan that includes everything from symptom management, which ensures patient’s comfort, to special equipment, and emotional and spiritual support. Our mission is to provide a holistic approach that considers the combined medical, personal, emotional and spiritual needs of the individual, who, along with loved ones, are living with a life-limiting illness.

As a pioneering organization, we’re proud of Delaware Hospice’s longevity in delivering quality services to individuals and families. We’re grateful for the generosity of our community, and we plan to continue to respond to their needs.

A Place to Start

If you’re new to our website, we want you to navigate the information easily. Here’s an overview of the information you’ll find under Our Care Programs:

Care In Your Home:
If you or a loved one is managing a serious or life-limiting illness, and the preference is to receive support and care at home, Delaware Hospice care teams will come to you.

Care At The Delaware Hospice Center:
If you or a loved one requires a short-term stay to ease uncontrolled symptoms, the Delaware Hospice Center combines a peaceful atmosphere with state-of-the-art, 24-hour specialized care.

Care At Facilities:
If you or a loved one receives care in a nursing home, assisted living facility or hospital, Delaware Hospice brings comfort, support and resources right to the room.

Family Support:
When one person copes with a life-limiting illness, the entire family is affected. Delaware Hospice offers support for the varied needs of adults, youth and children.

Coping with a Serious Illness:
Many people believe the right time to contact hospice arrives when an individual is coping with the final stages of a life-limiting illness. However, our Transitions program provides helpful resources long before, so you can live the best you can with a serious illness.

Care In Your Home

Comfort, Encouragement and Support Delivered at Home

Research indicates people prefer to spend the final days of their lives in the warmth of their own homes, surrounded by friends, family and familiarity. Delaware Hospice professionals work together with families and communities to coordinate pain and symptom management, and to provide emotional support to individuals coping with a life-limiting illness, right in the comfort of home.

A patient is eligible for hospice care when the prognosis is measured in months rather than years. It is critical for both the patient and his or her physician to align with the hospice philosophy, which provides comfort and peace to an individual once the focus shifts from finding a cure.

Delaware Hospice Center

The Delaware Hospice Center: Sharing the Care

Periodically, a person coping with a life-limiting illness requires specialized care beyond that which family members can provide in the home. When the need arises, the Delaware Hospice Center offers an alternative to hospital care, combining state-of-the-art technology with the comforts of home in a soothing, spacious and tranquil environment. Here, individuals receive expert, around-the-clock care, unlimited visiting hours and the support of a multi-disciplinary team. And, it’s a home away from home.

Care In Facilities

Comfort, Encouragement and Support Wherever it’s Needed

Hospice is not a building, but rather, a philosophy of providing care, companionship, support and resources to individuals and their families coping with a life-limiting illness, wherever they’re most comfortable.

Delaware Hospice provides care in private residences, hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and at the Delaware Hospice Center. We partner with a range of facilities which offer care to individuals, and offer services designed to complement those they already enjoy. That means if a loved one is under the care of professionals at a hospital or other facility, Delaware Hospice provides additional care and resources, right on site.

Once a partnership is established with a current provider, the Delaware Hospice team takes a leadership role in administering comfort and relief. Further, the team offers spiritual and emotional support to individuals and their families when they choose. Our mission is to create an environment in which individuals coping with a life-limiting illness live each day with as much peace, comfort and dignity as possible.
Delaware Hospice services are available in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties in Delaware and in Southern Chester and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania.