Choosing hospice
Our highly trained nurses work closely with patients, their families, and their physicians to devise coordinated health care programs. Important choices regarding care always reside with the patient.
A personal choice
Living life to the fullest — experiencing quality care and comfort — this is the hospice choice. Choosing hospice care at the end-of-life will allow you or your loved one to determine the quality of life. Hospice neither hastens nor delays dying, but affirms life by emphasizing its quality rather than its length.
Northern Illinois Hospice and Grief Center focuses on honoring choices regarding your care and supporting your relationships and family values. What makes you comfortable? What wishes do you have? What are your special needs? Only you can make these decisions.
Anyone can make a referral — you, a caregiver, a family member, or a professional. Your physician recommends care and certifies your diagnosis and prognosis. But you are the one who decides if hospice care is right for you.
Eligibility
You or your loved one may be eligible for our hospice services if you:
- Have an Illinois-licensed physician or use our medical director,
- Are a resident of Winnebago or Boone Counties,
- Have a prognosis of six months or less to live,
- No longer wish to have curative treatment,
- Wish to remain at home, and
- Have a willing caregiver.
Persons in long-term care facilities may also be eligible for hospice services.
Personalized care
No two patients are alike. Each patient's care plan is created with input from the patient, physician, and initial nursing assessment.
Our care is provided by a team of professionals who deliver superior medical care as well as social, emotional, and spiritual support for patients and their families. As part of the hospice benefit, each patient receives necessary medical equipment, supplies, and medications related to the terminal disease.
