Hospice care at Memorial Healthcare in Owosso, MI, is designed to help the patient maintain a high quality of life and assist families in supporting their loved ones. Patients and caregivers in Shiawassee County and surrounding areas rely on the compassionate care of our healthcare organization for their hospice needs.
What Is Hospice?
Hospice is the ideal care option for individuals facing a terminal illness or debilitating injury. Since patients who receive hospice care often have incurable diseases, the focus is on helping them live each day with as much comfort and dignity as possible. As a result, hospice involves a holistic approach to care that includes physical, emotional, and spiritual support.
Since hospice is a type of care, providers can deliver services in various settings, whether at the patient’s home, a hospital, assisted living facility, or a similar location. At Memorial Healthcare, the hospice team can provide care at a nursing home, independent living facility, hospice house, or a private residence where the patient has lived for years. In short, hospice providers offer care wherever patients call home.
The Hospice Team
The hospice team members work collaboratively to craft plans that assist patients with pain management and symptom control. This interdisciplinary and medically-directed care method enables providers to meet each patient’s unique needs. The interdisciplinary and medically-directed hospice team comprises the following medical professionals:
- Hospice physicians and nurses
- Social workers
- Home health aides
- Therapists (physical, occupational, and speech)
- Spiritual advisors (clergy or counselors)
- Grief support specialists
- Trained hospice volunteers
- A selected personal physician
Director Aimee O’Connor and manager Jane E. Sego supervise the hospice team. Another key person on the hospice team is Leslie Weisenberger, DNP, FNP-BC, an employed provider of Memorial Healthcare. She serves as the nurse practitioner for the hospice and home health care departments. People who are not yet patients of either program can reach out to Dr. Leslie Weisenberger at the practice of Dr. Reem and Dr. Wael Salman by calling 989-729-4222.
Hospice Care Services
The comprehensive mindset of the hospice team ensures patients receive care that enhances the body, mind, and spirit. Some of the specific services people acquire with hospice care include:
- Medication for pain management following a life-threatening diagnosis or prognosis
- Therapies to augment the quality of life
- Grief and spiritual guidance to navigate the emotional effects of end-of-life care
- Reliable medical equipment and supplies
- Education for patients and families regarding hospice care
To make sure patients receive more effective care, the hospice nurses frequently communicate with each patient’s chosen physician. This collaboration gives the physician a more accurate understanding of the patient’s changing needs.
