Washington's Caring Team

Compassionate Hospice Care for Serious Illness

Washington's Hospice & Palliative Care Provider

When you or a loved one has been injured, diagnosed with a serious illness, or given a terminal diagnosis, you may not know where to turn for help. The situation may leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure about the care you or your loved one needs.

Continumm Care Hospice and Palliative Care serves patients with expert medical care with compassion and pain management. These services are designed to work with you and your family to provide the support and care needed during this difficult time.

 

Collaborative Approach

Our caregivers partner with all of our patients’ relatives, creating an environment of comfort and security for your loved ones.

Wide-ranging Clinical Support

Our team of professionals help relieve the physical symptoms of illness while addressing the patients emotional and spiritual needs

Skilled Staff

Each member of our hospice team is uniquely qualified to provide specialty level end-of-life care for all types of illnesses.

On Site Care

Our experienced caregivers provide the practical tools and education necessary to care for your loved one at home.

Specialty Programs

Signature therapies that relieve and bring joy

Music Therapy

Virtual Reality

Equine Therapy

Palliative Care Services

Some consider palliative care a pre-hospice service, but we believe our palliative care services are beneficial at any stage of an illness or injury. Continuum palliative resource (CPR) patients receive our services while continuing their aggressive treatment.

The goal of CPR services is to help manage our patient’s pain and reduce the side effects caused by their treatment.

Develop a comprehensive plan
Our palliative care team consists of physicians, nurses, social workers, and support staff that coordinates care with the patient’s treating physicians. We develop a care plan based on the patient’s diagnosis, the course of their disease, and the treatments available.

Nursing care
A board-certified palliative care nurse practitioner is assigned to patients through our home-based CPR services. We provide in-home visits and phone consultations by our nursing staff to improve our patient’s quality of life. Nurses continuously coordinate and adjust care with the patient’s physician.

Services may include education about their illness or treatment options, symptom management techniques, and providing medical assistant devices. Our triage system means a palliative care nurse practitioner is available 24 hours a day by phone for consultations or emergency care.

Connect patients with community resources
Our staff social workers also make home visits, connecting patients with private and community-based services and resources to better manage their condition. This includes finding spiritual or psychosocial support services for our patients.

 

Compassionate Hospice Care

Hospice care is for patients who decide to stop seeking aggressive treatment of their terminal disease or medical condition. The care focuses on treating the person as a whole and managing their symptoms rather than treating their illness. Doctors and nurses on your hospice care team will meet with the patient and their family to design a care plan based on the patient’s desires and needs.

 

Hospice patients may wish to receive their care at home but also have the option of receiving care through in-patient services. Some patients require in-patient care when their symptoms or pain cannot be well managed at home. Hospice care provides patients with a comprehensive range of services.

Medication Management

Hospice staff members prescribe and administer medications to patients to help relieve the pain and reduce the symptoms they are experiencing. Visiting staff members use patient evaluations to determine if new medications would be helpful or when dosages need to be adjusted.

Skilled Nursing Care

While family members act as the primary caregiver in hospice, nurses and home health aides are assigned to each patient who receives care at home. They make regular in-home visits to evaluate the patient’s condition and provide specialized medical and nursing care for pain and symptom management. Our hospice staff is on-call 24 hours a day and always available for emergencies or when the situation changes. Hospice medical care focuses on providing pain management and symptom control for patients.

Spiritual & Emotional Support

We provide a range of personalized services for the emotional and spiritual support of our patients and their families during the end of their life. This includes offering spiritual support throughout hospice care and bereavement counseling for family members once the patient passes. We offer psychosocial support services to patients and their families and our staff members to help cope with the difficult nature of the terminal illness. Our support services also bring in certified therapists to administer various services such as reiki, music therapy, and massage.

Medical Supplies & Equipment

Hospice care provides the medical supplies you or your loved one needs during the remainder of their life. Our hospice staff coordinates and supplies the medical equipment needed for treatment and to make the patient comfortable. This includes delivering and setting up hospital beds and mobility assistance devices to the patient’s home.

Our Care Team

COMPASIONATE CARE

The medical director co-certifies the terminal diagnoses with the attending physician, and then leads the interdisciplinary team in the development of a plan of care for the patient. The director also provides consultation with other physicians regarding each patient.

The hospice nurse develops a care plan to ensure symptom control and pain management. The nurse coordinates care with the attending physician, primary caregiver, and care center staff as well as doctors visits. The hospice nurse provides family training as well.

The social worker assesses patient and family’s emotional, social, spiritual, and financial needs and then develops a plan of care tailored to meet identified needs. The social worker also provides direct counseling as needed, or refers patients and families to appropriate community agencies to ensure support is available.

Volunteers provide companionship and comfort to help support the patient and family. They also help with various non-medical services, such as letter writing, and time for caregivers and family. Volunteers also provide support at time of death and during the bereavement process.

The attending physician certifies the terminal diagnosis, and directs and approves a plan of care based on the patient’s needs and symptoms. The physician then coordinates the patients’ care together with the interdisciplinary team.

The home health aide provides the patients with direct personal care. The aide ensures the patient’s comfort, and provides emotional support for the patient’s family. The aide also identifies the patient’s needs and report them to the RN case manager.

The chaplain’s job is to assess patient and family spiritual needs, and to develop a plan of care to meet identified needs. The chaplain provides direct spiritual counseling, consultations and referrals to community clergy. The chaplain is available to assist with memorial preparations if desired.
Our bereavement team provides emotional support by direct contact or by telephone for families going through the grieving process. We keep up an ongoing correspondence in the form of supportive letters. We also hold regularly scheduled memorial services to celebrate the lives and memories of loved ones.

Continuum Care of Washington

Being diagnosed with a serious or terminal illness is never easy. If you or a loved one has received a difficult diagnosis, you need medical care and services that are compassionate. Palliative and hospice care provide patients with the support they need.

 

At Continuum Care of Washington, we offer our patients skilled nursing care, emotional support, and management of medications as part of our hospice and palliative services. Our experienced staff and compassionate care services are designed to meet the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of patients who are dealing with a life-threatening illness or nearing the end of their life.