Graceland Hospice Care

Frequently asked questions

Answered by Graceland Hospice Care

• What resources do you offer patients and families beyond basic care?

  We offer a variety of bereavement services, which can include the following:

  Person-to-person support: We are available for counseling, companionship, or conversation — whether in person, by phone, e-mail, or postal correspondence, from the time of death to a year after your loved one’s death. A personal visit request begins with a simple phone call.

  Educational support groups: You’ll find that Graceland Hospice provides a safe and supportive place for people to share experiences of loss with each other, to learn from each other about ways to cope and heal, and move forward.

  Written resources: We have a library of materials available that can help you understand and follow your journey through grief and bereavement.

• What makes you stand out from other hospices?

  Graceland is committed to excellence and dedicated to setting new standards in hospice care. Graceland Hospice revolves around working with passion, treating others with compassion and delivering the gift of hospice to all patients and their families, without exception. We carefully qualify each person who provide services to our patients for hospice and palliative care.

  Disparities in the use of hospice is a concern that GHC is actively combating. We began by creating a program that is responsible for community outreach and educational training in communities underserved in end-of-life care. At Graceland Hospice Care, we encourage the awareness and respect for diversity in our staff and among our patients and their families. We have a no-tolerance policy for stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination or racism. Graceland Hospice Care complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate, exclude or treat people differently on the basis of social status, marital status, political belief, sexual preference, race, color, religion, national origin, diagnosis, disease, age, sex, physical/mental disabilities, or access to treatment or employment.

• What does care look like for the average patient?

  Hospice care: Care designed to give supportive care to people that are suffering from a terminal illness and focus on comfort and quality of life, rather than cure. The goal is to enable patients to be comfortable and free of pain, so that they live each day as fully as possible.

  Hospice provides several different methods of pain control. Hospice programs are home-based, but they also provide services away from home -- in freestanding facilities, in nursing homes, or assisted living communities. The philosophy of hospice is to provide support for the patient's emotional, social, and spiritual needs as well as medical symptoms as part of treating the whole person.

  Hospice programs generally use a multidisciplinary team approach, including the services of a nurse, doctor, social worker and a spiritual counselor in providing care. Additional services provided include medication to control pain and manage other symptoms; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; medical supplies and equipment; dietary and other counseling; continuous home care at times of crisis; and bereavement services. Volunteer services are also part of the circle of hospice care.

  Although hospice care does not aim for cure of the terminal illness, it may treat potentially curable conditions such as pneumonia and bladder infections, with antibiotics if necessary. Hospice programs also offer respite care within skilled nursing facilities, who take over the patient's care so that the family or other primary caregivers can attend to other family matters or simply take a few days to rest.

• What is your patient care philosophy?

  Spiritual Support
  The word “spiritual” can be used in many ways. We understand spiritual life as each person’s unique experience of a power beyond himself or herself, a sense of order in the universe, a sense of purpose in living, and a sense of connection with everything. Spirituality also includes the organizing set of beliefs, values, hopes, and yearnings, by which each person makes sense of the frequently chaotic elements of life.

  Social Worker Support
  Our Master’s level Social Workers are specially trained in end-of-life care issues. They help our patients and families in a multitude of ways, including counseling, education, help with accessing community resources and grief support. In addition, they assist those in need of alternate residential settings, individuals experiencing financial crises, as well as those who require referrals to outside social service agencies. During the Social Worker’s visit, he or she will assess the needs of the patient and family and focus on maximizing their quality of life. As part of the interdisciplinary team, the Social Worker collaborates with all involved in the patient’s care with clarification of hospice goals. In short, the Social Worker helps patients and families determine how hospice can best serve them.

  Some of the issues a Graceland Social Worker might assist with include:

  Education on hospice philosophy and the dying process
  The need for a caregiver and/or respite service
  Processing emotions surrounding news of a terminal diagnosis
  Support for an overwhelmed caretaker
  Anticipatory grief for those experiencing the loss of a loved one
  Conflict resolution amongst the patient’s support system
  Assistance with advanced directives such as a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPOA-HC) or Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR)
  Bereavement Support
  Each person reacts uniquely to the loss of a loved one. Your grief is unique. Your bereavement is your own, and it can feel devastating. The loss of a loved one can change your life. Even if we believe that we are strong or well-prepared, the feelings of grief can be intense.

  These feelings are natural – feelings of pain, longing, vulnerability, confusion, sorrow, anxiety, fear, and anger emerge at the time of your loved one’s death and often continue for many months.

  During this time of grief, you may find relationships changing. Your daily routines and roles may be altered. Your basic assumptions about life may change temporarily, or even permanently. You may face the anxiety and unexpected adventure of reshaping your life. You may not know where to turn for support, care, and help along such an uncharted journey.

  The Graceland team is available to walk with you on your journey through grief and bereavement.

• What is the history of your hospice?

  Since 2015, Graceland Hospice Care has proudly been caring for the Orange County and Los Angeles communities for hospice and palliative care needs.

Other questions? Give them a call:  (714) 733-1333 (714) 733-1333