Services

Hospice is a team-oriented type of care that focuses on the needs of patients who face a life-limiting illness or injury. We offer medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support to each patient and to their families as well.

Hospice care is provided in a variety of settings and is available to patients of any age, religion, race or illness. Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs and other managed care organizations.

Referrals

To make a referral to hospice, please call 325-670-2273 or 800-622-8516 or email hospice@hendrickhealth.org.

Eligibility for Hospice Care

Hendrick Hospice Care provides end-of life-care for many diagnoses including but not limited to: cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, dementia, ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, lung disease, renal disease and stroke. Hospice is a fully-covered Medicare benefit for all eligible patients, with no out-of-pocket expense. Hospice also is fully covered by most Medicaid and commercial insurances.

Click here for more information on eligibility and Medicare hospice benefits.

Service Area

Hendrick Hospice Care serves a 65-mile radius of Abilene, including 13 counties.

Inpatient Unit

Inpatient care is a short-term option to provide acute care and complex symptom management that cannot be provided at home or in other settings. The Hendrick Hospice Care Center includes 16 patient rooms large enough for families to comfortably stay with their loved ones.

Home Care

Hospice provides care in any place the patient calls home. Home care allows the patient to remain in the place where he or she feels safe and comfortable. The hospice care team is on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide care and support when needed.

Pediatric Hospice Care

Hendrick Hospice Care is the only hospice in this area that provides hospice care to pediatric patients. Specialized care is provided to families facing the incredible challenge of caring for a child with a life-limiting illness. Our staff has the expertise to determine the need for pain and symptom management unique to each child and the ability to support parents as they care for their children.

We Honor Veterans Program

"America’s Veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and we believe it is never too late to give them a hero’s welcome home. Now it is time that we step up, acquire the necessary skills and fulfill our mission to serve these men and women with the dignity they deserve.” J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has developed a pioneering campaign, We Honor Veterans, in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to help improve the care Veterans receive from hospice and palliative care providers.

Through We Honor Veterans, NHPCO and Hendrick Hospice Care is taking a giant step forward in helping hospice and palliative care providers understand and serve Veterans at the end of life and work more effectively with VA medical facilities in their communities. The resources of We Honor Veterans focus on respectful inquiry, compassionate listening, and grateful acknowledgment, coupled with Veteran-centric education of healthcare staff caring for Veterans.

By recognizing the unique needs of our nation’s Veterans who are facing a life-limiting illness, providers can accompany and guide Veterans and their families toward a more peaceful ending. And in cases where there might be some specific needs related to the Veteran’s military service, combat experience or other traumatic events, We Honor Veterans also provides tools and resources to help support those they are caring for.

Pathways

Making crucial choices is often a challenge for people living with advanced or chronic illness. Having the right information at the right time is an important way to achieve the ultimate goal of maintaining quality of life.

Pathways™ is an educational and supportive program for those facing an advanced or chronic illness. This is a community outreach service of Hendrick Hospice Care and is offered at no cost to participants as well as their families and caregivers.

The program covers topics that can include but are not limited to:

• Communication concerns
• Defining quality of life
• Coping strategies
• Emotional concerns
• Practical issues
• Spiritual concerns
• Advance Directives

This program does not involve medical care or medical advice, which continues to be directed by the patient's physician. The number of visits will vary and is determined by the patient, the family, and the Pathways™ facilitator. After the introductory meeting, we tailor a program that best fits the desires and the needs of the patient. If you would like more information about Pathways at Home, contact Aimee Colley at acolley@ehendrick.org or 325-670-7690.

Community Programs

Our staff is trained to bring exceptional programs of relevance to individuals, families and groups. Please call 325-670-2273 to arrange a program

• Advance Healthcare Planning:
  Advance Directives
• Beyond Advance Directives:
  Three Ways to Go Beyond
• Bereavement & Grief Anticipatory Grief
• Coping Skills in the Grief Journey
• Finding Meaning in Loss and Suffering
• Grief in the Workplace
• Helping a Friend in Grief
• The Basics of Grief - What is Grief?
• Grief Reactions
• Grief Issues Related to Children
• Psycho-social Issues Related to Cancer/Loss of Health
• Coping with Serious Illness - From the Patient Aspect
• What is Hospice?
• Hospice Philosophy
• Hospice Care in Nursing Facilities
• Care of the Caregiver
• Care-Giving and Hospice
• Proven Techniques: A Bill of Patient's Rights
• Death and Denying (continuing education hours offered)
• Letting Go-Giving a Dying Loved One Permission to Die
• Near Death Awareness
• Symptom Management
• When the Patient is Not the Problem:
  Dealing with Difficult Families
• Palliative Care Pain Management (Continuing Education Hours Offered)
• Healing Power of Humor
• Stress Management
• End-of-Life Care: Pathways - Supportive Program for Individuals Dealing with Serious Illness
• ELNEC Module General: Getting to the Heart of Helping: Making a Real Difference Everyday (continuing education hours offered)
• Volunteerism

Services for Nursing Facilities

Hendrick Hospice Care offers a variety of programs designed especially for nursing facilities. Please call 325-670-2273 to arrange a program.

• Hand Hygiene
• Foundation for End of Life Care
• Advocating for patient/resident choice
• Partners in interdisciplinary care
• End-Stage Disease Process
• Interdisciplinary Pain Management
• Hospice Care in Nursing Facilities
• Developing a Coordinated Plan of Care
• Minimum Data Set
• Basics for the Hospice Interdisciplinary Team
• Nursing Facilities
• Quality Indicators Surveyor
• Protocols for the Hospice Interdisciplinary Team
• Understanding to Hospice/Nursing Facility
• Payment System
• Pain Management
• Symptom Management
• In-service Care of the Actively Dying Patient/Resident