Intro and Mission
We believe everyone on Whidbey Island deserves local access to high-quality healthcare.
WhidbeyHealth Hospice provides the highest quality hospice services, and compassionate end-of-life care for people with a life-limiting disease. Our providers offer services that are uniquely customized to the needs of each patient.
WIIFM Questions
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WhidbeyHealth Hospice is Medicare-certified, which means that someone on Medicare receives hospice services at no cost.
What is Hospice?
WHAT IS HOSPICE?
Hospice addresses pain and symptom management as well as emotional and spiritual needs. Services are provided in the home, where most patients prefer to be. Hospice is also provided in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Hospice offers an alternative to therapies focused on life-prolonging measures that may be difficult, may cause more symptoms, or are not aligned with a person's goals. Hospice provides all medications, services and equipment necessary for patient comfort. Hospice also offers bereavement care (grief support) for up to 13 months.
Our Hospice Philosophy
WhidbeyHealth's Hospice philosophy reflects an all-embracing, holistic and team-centered approach to supportive care. Our Hospice services address pain and symptom management as well as emotional and spiritual needs. Hospice values life as well as the patient's wishes and choices; a special kind of care that focuses on helping individuals live their life to the fullest.
Our Goal
Hospice is comfort-focused care for patients who are diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. It is our goal to provide and promote the comfort, peace and dignity of every individual. WhidbeyHealth Hospice makes every effort to respect each of our patient's goals, preferences and choices while remining sensitive to personal, cultural and religious beliefs throughout the end-of-life journey.
Hospice Services
SERVICES WE PROVIDE
Hospice services are provided for individuals who have any type of end-stage illness in which a physician has determined life expectancy is six months or less. Hospice services are no limited to six months. WhidbeyHealth Hospice provides services as long as we are needed or wanted.
WhidbeyHealth Hospice includes:
- Managing the physical symptoms of your illness to provide comfort.
- Providing emotional support for you and your loved ones.
- Providing spiritual guidance and support.
- Providing education about your disease process and changes that may occur during the progression of a life-limiting illness.
- Teaching your family & caregivers how to care for you.
- Providing bereavement support for your family.
- Assisting you in maintaining your sense of dignity.
- Promoting quality of life for you and your family.
Our team supports patients and families with comprehensive expertise in the management of physical, emotional and spiritual needs. For most hospice patients, "comfort care" means spending the last months of their lives within familiar surroundings with family, friends, pets and relaxed routines.
WhidbeyHealth Hospice does not include:
- Treatment intended to cure a terminal diagnosis.
- Prescription medications and supplies that treat an illness unrelated to the hospice-qualifying diagnosis.
- Home Health services.
- Caregiving.
The difference between Hospice and Home Health Care:
Hospice at WhidbeyHealth are services that help patient and family maximize the remaining moments following a terminal illness, delivered with dignity and respect.
- Home Health care covers a wide range of services that can be given in your home for an illness or injury.
- WhidbeyHealth does not offer Home Health
WhidbeyHealth delivers Hospice patient medications to the home - exceptional service and improving caretaking one patient at a time.
Meet the Team
MEET THE TEAM
RESOURCES
HOSPICE RESOURCES
Hospice resources for Patients & Caregivers
- Planning for future care based on your values, beliefs, preferences and medical issues is a process, not an event. An Advanced Directive is the record of that process. How one wants to live and be treated as well as speak on your behalf.
- Learn about Advanced Directives.
- Learn about Power of Attorney.
- Hospice is a right to which all Medicare beneficiaries have access to. Hospice is also typically covered by most private insurers as well as by state Medicaid.
- What Matters to Me is a workbook resource designed to prepare patients with serious illness for conversations with their health care team about what is most important to them. Sharing goals and preferences with your health care team allows you to choose the kind of care that's right for you.
- Planning for your final days is hard, but it's an invaluable gift to caretakers and loved ones. Click here to access guidance for starting a conversation about end-of-life care.
