When someone we love is hurting, we all seek for ways to express
our love and empathy. Hospice services provide a wonderful opportunity
for family and friends to offer a tangible demonstration of caring when a
cure is no longer an option. Hospice care allows you or your loved one
the opportunity to be able to rest in familiar surroundings. Hospice
care allows for you or your loved one to be cheered by the companionship
of family and friends, and provides peace and comfort, despite the
difficulties of this phase of life. Becoming educated regarding hospice
services, and what hospice can offer, allows a confident decision to be
made when the time comes.
Hospice provides palliative care for
people in the last phase of an incurable disease, extending quality of
life and providing compassionate support to their families. The symptoms
can be physical, emotional, or psychosocial in nature. Hospice care
focuses on bringing comfort, self-respect, and tranquility to people in
the final stages of life. Patient’s symptoms and pain are controlled,
goals of care are discussed, and emotional needs are supported.
At Beacon of Hope Hospice, our mission is to provide healing to
patients, family, and community when a cure is no longer possible. Our
goal is to assist patients and their families with the fearful reality
of loss by cushioning that reality with love, compassion, education, and
daily support if needed. “I work for an amazing company that always
puts the patients, their families, and my community first. It’s what we
do.” Jeanine Howard, General Manager of Beacon of Hope Hospice.
Betty Carstens of Rock Island agrees, “Beacon of Hope is a wonderful
organization. They make me feel like one of the family.”
It was
also this additional support to family care that Henry and Vivian Becker
of Davenport loved about Beacon of Hope Hospice. “When our hospice
nurse first came to visit, she greeted us saying she was a ‘hugger.’
Sometimes an angel comes into our lives with a stethoscope around her
neck,” they stated.
Some misconceptions about hospice are that
hospice is where you go when nothing else can be done. In fact, hospice
is the “something more” that can be done for the patient and family when
illness cannot be cured as end of life approaches. Hospice services are
frequently less expensive than conventional care and are covered by
Medicare/Medicaid at 100 percent. For private insurance, every insurance
company has its own policies, and Beacon of Hope can contact the
patient’s insurer to ask about hospice coverage benefits. Family and
loved ones always stay involved during the hospice process and patients
frequently stay in their homes, although hospice care can be provided to
patients in nursing homes, as well. Mary, from Hampton, Illinois wrote:
“Your staff was a huge help while we were dealing with so much. Not
only was the staff helpful but they were very caring and loving. You
held our hands, helped with our fears, and were our voice when the
hospital no longer listened to us. What a wonderful group of people and
may God bless each of you. Thank you.”
Patients are referred
by their physician, the family, significant others, friends, and other
community sources. We provide care related to many life-limiting
illnesses, including:
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- COPD, respiratory disease
- Neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease
- Stroke or coma
- Lung, liver, kidney disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- General decline
- Alzheimer/Dementia
- AIDS/HIV
Why Choose Beacon of Hope Hospice?
- Beacon
of Hope Hospice has been caring for patients and families since 1993
with a stellar reputation within the communities they service - Beacon
of Hope Hospice accepts referrals, evaluates, and admits patients 24
hours a day/7 days a week; including weekends and holidays with prompt
response - Beacon of Hope Hospice has a dedicated, expert team of
professionals to help patients remain in their home, or who choose to
live in a facility - Beacon of Hope Hospice believes in a smaller
nurse to patient ratio to better enable quality care without rushing the
needs of the patients and their families - Beacon of Hope Hospice
focuses on meeting individualized patient needs ensuring comfort and
dignity by family and patient involvement in the Plan of Care - Beacon
of Hope Hospice gives back to the community, making bereavement and
memorial services available to all members of our community - Beacon
of Hope Hospice offers a free transition program to patients and
families who may not qualify for Hospice care through their Connections
Program. The program offers support and education when the patient does
not quite meet the criteria for the election of hospice services - Beacon of Hope Hospice has expertise in end of life care. They are very good at what they do, because that is all that they do.
The Beacon of Hope Hospice team consists of specialized,
professional caregivers extending the care provided by your physician
and existing caregivers. It is a collaborative approach comprised of
these professionals:
- Hospice Physician: Consults
with the patient’s primary care physician to implement an
individualized plan of patient care. Beacon of Hope Hospice’s lead
medical director is a well-respected oncologist, Dr. Michael Porubcin.
Associate medical directors include his colleague Dr. David Spector, and
servicing the Galesburg, IL community are medical directors, Dr. Usman
Cheema and Dr. Angelo Soyangco. - Nurse Practitioner: Provides medical home visits for physician collaboration for the patient’s plan of care
- Primary Registered Nurse: Manages patient care, symptoms, and needs, and is available 24/7
- Certified Nursing Assistant: Provides personal care needs as assigned by the nurse
- Social Worker: Addresses psycho-social issues and assists in identifying community resources as needed
- Chaplain: Provides spiritual support/acts as liaison between family and personal clergy
- Volunteers: Assist patients and loved ones in a variety of ways
- Bereavement Team: Supports the family during the grieving process for up to 12 months after the loss of the patient
The Connections Program
Many of those suffering from illnesses find themselves in the
difficult position of knowing that their condition will likely result in
a life-limiting diagnosis, yet may not qualify to move into hospice
care. The Connections Program has been developed to serve patients who
choose our hospice services that do not yet meet Medicare
qualifications, or have been discharged from hospice services due to
improvements in their life-limiting condition. Patients who are enrolled
in this program receive ongoing support from our Connections Program
Coordinator until hospice care is needed.
RN Case Manager from
Beacon of Hope commented with emotion, “What a great addition to our
hospice program. This program assists with providing patients an
alternative, if they are not yet ready for hospice care, and provides
ongoing support for patients and families in need of support. “
Patients may continue to visit their physician’s offices, seek
diagnostic or aggressive treatment, utilize outpatient services, access
emergency room and/or hospital services, and utilize home health
services. The program is limited to individuals who are anticipated to
need hospice services within 12 months of enrollment.
This
complimentary service is provided with no associated fees. This program
is funded by the National Hospice Partnership Foundation, a
not-for-profit affiliate of Beacon of Hope Hospice.
Community Service
Beacon of Hope Hospice is an organization in the community, for the
community. They take the role of community service very seriously.
As one of the members of the team stated, “We are here to support our
community whether they have our services or not. It’s all about giving
of ourselves and making a difference in their lives.” “Beacon of Hope
wants to be involved in your care when the time is right, either during
the end of life process or during that transition period. Invite us to
collaborate with you, and see firsthand the difference with Beacon of
Hope.”
In the end, it’s all about making the patient and family,
supported and comfortable through the end of life process. It’s a very
difficult time for everyone, and Beacon of Hope Hospice is dedicated to
you and your family. Michael W. of Rock Island is grateful Beacon of
Hope was there for him. “You guys did the best job! Once you came in,
you made my dad’s last days more peaceful. I loved the friendliness of
the staff; Dad loved your smiles. You all brightened up his days.”
Let Beacon of Hope Hospice brighten up your days. Please call them
at 563-391-6933 for the Quad Cities area and 309-344-4673 in the
Galesburg area.