Allina Hospice Foundation

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Hospice care is for anyone with a life-limiting illness and whose life expectancy is determined to be six months or less if the disease runs its natural course.

Hospice is a champion for quality of life. The focus of hospice is to provide patient and family-centered care. The mission is to relive physical discomfort and meet the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, while providing support and education for the family and caregiver(s).

Hospice care is not just for patients with cancer, but for any terminal illness.

Hospice is an intermittent care program. This means that care is provide through visits by hospice team members; it does not provide ongoing 24-hour care for the patient at home.

Hospice care allows a natural death. It neither hastens death nor prolongs life, but rather provides comfort for those nearing the end of life. Diagnostic procedures and treatments specifically intended to prolong life are not usually included in hospice care.

Inspiring hospice stories

Don Grossbach, MD, explains why he chose hospice and palliative medicine.

Teresa Conlan shares how hospice helped her family during her father's illness. That experience led her to a career in hospice care.

They shared their stories during Allina's Community Giving Campaign.

Eligibility

Hospice care can be provided to anyone living in our service area.

Patients are served in whatever location they currently call home, including assisted living centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes and residential hospice facilities. Care is available to adults with all diagnosis.

Payment and insurance information

Hospice care is covered by most insurers, including Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers. Private pay options are also available.

Our knowledgeable admission staff can help evaluate your coverage. Simply call us at 651-635-9173.

It is our policy to never refuse service to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

The hospice care team and your plan of care

Hospice patients are cared for by a team of skilled professionals known as the interdisciplinary hospice team.

The hospice team works with the primary physician, patient and family to set up an individualized plan of care, which honors the patient's goals, values and wishes. This plan of care spells out who will visit, the frequency of visits and what they will do. The plan will also determine the need for medications, medical equipment and whatever else may be needed. The purpose of the care plan is to focus on comfort, not to find a cure. It is to give the patient and family the help they need to make the most of their remaining time together.

Diagnostic procedures and treatments specifically intended to prolong life are not usually included in hospice care. If a patient chooses to expand the focus of their treatment beyond symptom control, they may discontinue hospice care at any time to pursue other treatment options.

Hospitalization and respite care for symptom management that cannot be achieved at your residence will be provided on a short-term basis at one of Allina's hospice contracted care settings. Hospice is responsible for the payment of pre-authorized and arranged services concerning the life-limiting illness, including hospitalizations, procedures and treatment for symptom control and ambulance transportation if needed.

Hospice care available depending on patient needs

Care coordination

People with terminal illness typically receive health care services from different systems, often from multiple providers within each system. As a result, the health care delivery system for those with terminal illness is complex and confusing, making it more difficult to obtain the full range of appropriate services. Care coordination is available to Allina hospice patients to help arrange and schedule services, facilitate communication among multiple providers and monitor changes through the Care Navigation Help Desk.

Personal care

Care for someone who is otherwise unable to care for themselves. This can include bathing, cooking and managing bodily functions. Home health aide's are available through Allina's hospice program to help manage personal cares of a hospice patient.

Symptom management

The goal of symptom management in hospice, is to make the patient as comfortable as possible by relieving pain and other distressing symptoms; such as anxiety, difficulty breathing, upset stomach, loss of appetite and insomnia. Also called comfort care. The Allina hospice nurse case manager provides expert pain and symptom management.

Companionship and support

Companionship and support is available for all Allina hospice patients through use of Allina's trained hospice volunteers. Volunteers can provide transportation to and from appointments, light housework, period meal preparation, go on outings, read stories, play cards, run errands such as grocery shopping, respite care or something as simple as listening.

Respite care

Respite care provides short term breaks for a caregiver that relieve stress, restore energy and promote balance in your life. Respite care consists of two basic ideas: sharing the responsibility for care giving and getting support for the caregiver. Allina's hospice program has trained volunteers available to provide respite care.

Spiritual care

Spiritual care is a broad yet individualized service available to you throughout your hospice experience. It is inclusive of your own personal and spiritual points of view, regardless of faith affiliation, religious or cultural background. The chaplain can provide compassionate presence for you, your family and your friends and assist you with emotional and spiritual support and counsel. Our spiritual care staff honor and listen to your life stories and experiences and are able to accompany you as you explore spiritual concerns. Our chaplains recognize the spiritual dimensions of illness, suffering and healing. Our chaplains also work in collaboration with your spiritual leader to ensure the highest quality of care.

Grief counseling

The Allina hospice program provides support services and resources for caregivers and the families of hospice patients during the year after death. Some of the resources available are booklets, lists of local support groups, phone counselors and grief counselors. Following the death of a hospice patient, family members will be contacted by mail with the name and phone number of grief counselors at Allina Home & Community Services.

More about Allina Grief Resources

Community resources

Community resources can be recommended through your social worker. Resources and services may include patient counseling, family or caregiver counseling, financial and legal information (i.e. power of attorney, family leave act, money management, social security application, etc.), discharge planning, children's support resources, patient/family advocacy and identifying additional community resources.

Music therapy

A music therapist is available as a complimentary approach to address physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and social needs of patients and their families. The music therapist will use a variety of musical media to address individualized therapeutic needs within the care plan, incorporating the patient's preferred type of music and may include live music experiences whenever appropriate. Music therapists are available on a limited basis. Your case manager will be able to determine availability of this therapy based on the patient care plan.

Massage therapy

A massage therapist is available as a complimentary approach to help manage pain, reduce stress and improve circulation or mobility through professional, nurturing touch. The massage therapist adapts the sessions to meet the needs, preferences and comfort level of the patient. The massage can be given while sitting in a chair or recliner, or while lying on a bed or couch. Whether the sessions are designed to address specific symptoms or to promote general well being, an enhanced quality of life is the goal.

Massage therapists are available on a limited basis. Your case manager will be able to determine availability of this therapy based on the patient care plan.

Routine hospice care

Routine hospice care includes intermittent visits by members of the interdisciplinary team. Routine hospice home care may be provided in the home or other places of residence such as a nursing facility.

Reimbursement for care: Routine hospice home care is paid to the hospice for each day that the beneficiary is under the care of the hospice and is not receiving one of the other categories of care.

Continuous care in your home

Continuous hospice home care is allowed only during periods of crisis, usually in lieu of a hospitalization, in which a patient requires continuous care to achieve palliation or management of acute medical symptoms. Continuous hospice home care may be provided in the home or other places of residence, such as a nursing facility.

Reimbursement for care: Continuous hospice care in your home is covered only as necessary to maintain the terminally ill patient benefiting at home. The care must be predominantly nursing care. The continuous home care rate is divided by 24 hours to determine an hourly rate. A minimum of 8 hours must be provided.

Respite care

Respite care is short-term inpatient care provided to the hospice patient when necessary to relieve the hospice patient's caregiver(s). Respite care can be provided in the home or in a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified hospice inpatient facility, hospital, skilled nursing facility or residential hospice.

Reimbursement for care: Respite care may be provided only on an occasional basis and is not reimbursed for more than five consecutive days.

Residential hospice care

Residential hospice care is provided in a free-standing facility which is designed to be home-like with personalized care provided 24 hours a day. When providing care at home is no longer possible, residential hospice care is a fitting alternative.

General inpatient care

General inpatient care is for pain control and symptom management that cannot feasibly be provided in other settings. General inpatient care may be provided in a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified hospice inpatient facility, hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Residential hospice care is provided in a free-standing facility which is designed to be home-like with personalized care provided 24 hours a day. When providing care at home is no longer possible, residential hospice care is a wonderful alternative.

A residential hospice can give peace to spouses, family and friends who cannot provide the round-the-clock care their loved ones need, but want to honor their loved one's request to be in a home-like setting. It can provide a caring alternative when a terminally ill person has no nearby caregivers. A residential hospice will also proved a place for respite care, when hospice patients can stay for up to five day periods while caregivers take a needed break.

Allina is proud to be associated with two residential hospice houses; Owatonna Homestead Hospice House and the proposed building of the J.A. Wedum Residential Hospice in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Homestead Hospice House (Owatonna, Minnesota)

Homestead Hospice House is a state-licensed, eight-bed residential hospice located in Owatonna, Minnesota that provides personalized care in a welcoming environment 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Video and more information about Homestead Hospice House

To arrange a tour, please call 507-446-0936.

Proposed: J.A. Wedum Residential Hospice (Brooklyn Park, Minnesota)

Allina is seeking community support to build a state- and Medicare-licensed 12-bed residential hospice in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. This much needed facility will serve hospice patients and families from across the Twin Cities region.

Currently there is limited residential hospice capacity in the Twin Cities. There are only three facilities, each able to serve eight patients.

Many days all hospice beds are filled. This means that many hospice patients who wish to reside in a home-like setting are not receiving that option. In addition, caregivers who need a break from caregiving go without respite.

Learn more about the effort to build this facility.

Frequently asked questions about Allina Hospice Care

Myths and facts about hospice