Who needs Hospice?

Hospice is an available service when you or a loved one has a life expectancy of 6 months or less if the medical illness continues to progress. Information and knowledge about Hospice and Palliative Care is available at any time.

Talk to us before you need us!

If you or your loved one is experiencing the following...

Recent frequent hospitalizations
Increased episodes of confusion
Unintentional weight loss
Recurring Urinary or Respiratory Infections
Increased need for assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting, etc.
Falls
Incontinence
Bed sores or signs of skin breakdown

When do I need hospice?

Common hospice diagnoses (including but not limited to):

ALS
Alzheimer’s Disease
Cardiac Disease
Cancer
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
CVA (Stroke)
Dementia
Failure to thrive
HIV
Liver Disease
Renal Disease
Parkinson's Disease

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q: Should I wait for our physician to raise the possibility of hospice, or should I raise it first?: A: The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at any time with their physician, other health care professionals, clergy or friends.
Q: Is all hospice care the same?: A: No. Many communities have more than one hospice. Many are 'For Profit' Kendallwood Hospice is an IRC Certified Not for Profit 501(c)(3). Medicare requires certified hospices provide a basic level of care but the quantity and quality of all services can vary significantly from one hospice to another. To find the best hospice for your needs, ask your doctor, healthcare professionals, clergy, social workers or friends who have received care for a family member. You may want to call or meet with the hospices and ask questions about their services.
Q: Can a hospice patient who shows signs of recovery be returned to regular medical treatment?: A: Certainly. If the patient's condition improves and the disease seems to be in remission, patients can be discharged from hospice and return to aggressive therapy or go on about their daily life. If the discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most private insurance will allow additional coverage for this purpose.
Q: How many family members or friends does it take to care for a patient at home?: A: There's no set number. One of the first things a hospice team will do is to prepare an individualized care plan that will, among other things, address the amount of care giving needed by the patient. Hospice staff visit regularly and are always accessible to answer medical questions.
Q: How does hospice "manage pain"?: A: Kendallwood Hospice believes that emotional and spiritual pain are just as real and in need of attention as physical pain, so we address each. Kendallwood Hospice nurses and doctors are up to date on the latest medications and devices for pain and symptom relief. In addition, physical and occupational therapists can assist patients to be as mobile and self sufficient as they wish, and they are sometimes joined by specialists schooled in art therapy, speech therapy, physical and occupational therapy as well as dietary counseling. Finally, various counselors, including clergy, are available to assist family members as well as patients.
Q: Does hospice provide any help to the family after the patient dies?: A: Kendallwood Hospice provides continuing contact and support for caregivers for at least a year following the death of a loved one. We also sponsor bereavement groups and support for anyone in the community who has experienced a death of a family member, a friend, or similar losses.
Q: Who is best suited for hospice care?: A: Hospice patients are those with very serious medical conditions. Usually they have diseases that are life threatening and make day-to-day living very uncomfortable physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Some are in pain. Others experience difficult symptoms such as nausea, extreme fatigue, and shortness of breath. These symptoms may be caused by the disease, or they may have been caused by treatments intended to cure the disease. Often these patients turn to hospice because they are anxious or depressed, or they are feeling spiritually distressed because of their medical condition. Kendallwood Hospice specializes in easing pain, discomfort, and distress on all levels. The care we provide is often helpful for conditions such as cancer, heart disease, progressive lung diseases like COPD or emphysema, advanced dementia, or a general weakness and "failure to thrive." Seriously ill patients who have decided that their priority is to have the best quality of life possible are the people who are best suited for hospice.
Q: Isn't using hospice the same as "giving up"?: A: Not at all! Although it may be that your loved one's condition has reached a point that a cure is not likely-or not likely enough to be worth the side effects of treatment-that does not mean there is nothing left to do. In fact, an emphasis on quality of life and easing pain and distress often allows the patient to spend his or her last months focusing on the things that are ultimately the most important and meaningful. As one man put it, "I'd rather spend my time with my children and grandchildren than waste my limited time and energy driving to the treatment center and recovering beside the toilet bowl."

With the expert guidance of a nurse and case manager, as well as the assistance of hospice aids, social workers, and chaplains - patients and families find they can focus on their relationships, healing old wounds and building wonderful memories together. Far from giving up, hospice helps families truly live well and support each other during a stressful, but in the end very natural, family life passage. Kendallwood Hospice is not about dying… but it IS about how you LIVE!

Testimonials

"Kendallwood workers are loving, kind and highly competent. Every one of you is an angel to me as you were to my wife..."

"Thank you for taking such loving care of (my sister). You made her life so much better… and gave her a reason to hope for the next day."

Additional Information:

Kendallwood Hospice is: A not-for-profit (501)(c)(3) agency.

Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas Metro
(816) 587-1000

NW Missouri / NE Kansas
(816) 232-2400

Surrounding Communities
Toll Free 1-800-757-7504