ÿ
CONTINUUM CARE, INC.
Hospice
of St.
Croix,
St.
Thomas
and St.
John
What
is Hospice Care?
ÿ
Hospice is not a place but a concept of care
that is recognized as the model of quality, compassionate health
care delivery for those facing life-limiting illness.
ÿ
Since 2000, Continuum Care,
Inc. has provided care to Virgin Islanders, many who were able to
return home to St.
Croix to spend their final days
with family and friends. CCI has been Medicare Certified since
August 2001. There are 3,200 hospice providers in the
United
States that provided care to more
than 885,000 terminally ill Americans in 2002.
ÿ
In February 2004, Continuum
Care, Inc. began providing hospice care for
St.
Thomas and
St.
John and received Medicare
Certification in June
2004.
ÿ
Hospice care utilizes a team of health care
professionals that address symptom control, pain management, and
emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient’s
needs and wishes.
ÿ
Support, caregiver training, and grief
counseling are available for family and loved ones. Bereavement
services are also available.
ÿ
Most hospice services are provided in the
home, care is also available in residential care settings.
ÿ
Hospice allows the illness to follow its
natural course. The focus in on caring, not curing. Hospice provides
care regardless of diagnosis.
ÿ
Hospice services, in the VI, are
covered under Medicare, Cigna and most private insurance plans.
Donations made to Continuum Care are used solely on patient care for
those in need.
Hospice
Care is Not Limited to Six-months of Service:
ÿ
While many insurance companies, as well as
the Medicare Hospice Benefit, require that a terminally ill patient
have a prognosis of six months or less, there is not a six-month
limit to hospice care services.
ÿ
Hospice eligibility requirements should not
be confused with length of service.
ÿ
A patient in the final phase of life may
receive hospice care for as long as necessary when a physician
certifies that he or she continues to meet eligibility requirements.
ÿ
Under the Medicare Hospice
Benefit, two 90-day periods of care (a total of six months) are
followed by an unlimited
number of 60-day periods.
Americans
are Aging, so are Virgin Islanders:
ÿ
Today, there are more than 40 million
Americans over the age of 65; in the next thirty years that number
is expected to double.
ÿ
People over the age of 85 are the fastest
growing segment of our population.
ÿ
It is estimated that there are more than
72,000 people who have reached 100 years of age. In the next fifty
years that number is expected to reach
834,000.
ÿ
Continuum Care has actively been
assisting individuals and families understand important issues and
complete their end-of-life wishes. It is estimated that fewer than
25% of all Americans have completed advance directives that tell
their family and physician what their wishes would be should they
face a life-limiting
illness.
Increasing
Awareness is Vital:
ÿ
While the number of Americans receiving
hospice and palliative care grows each year, it is estimated that
for every patient who receives hospice, another patient could
benefit from the comprehensive services hospice provides but does
not receive this special care.
ÿ
In 2001, national statistics reveal that 34%
of hospice patients died within seven days or less, often an
inadequate time for the patient and family to take advantage of the
range of available services.
ÿ
Many people are unaware that hospice care is
available.
ÿ
Lack of awareness of hospice means that too
many Virgin Islanders still die alone or in pain. Too many patients
are being referred to hospice care too late, or not at all. And too
many families are left without bereavement support.
ÿ
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services has indicated that expanding the reach of hospice
care holds enormous potential benefits for those nearing the end of
life.
Hospice
is the Care Americans Want:
ÿ
Research by the National Hospice
Foundation identifies the top four concerns Americans have
surrounding end-of-life care:
o
Someone to be sure that the
patient’s wishes are enforced;
o
Choice among the types of
services the patient can receive;
o
Pain control tailored to the
patient’s wishes; and
o
Emotional support for the patient and family.
ÿ
Research has consistently shown that almost
80% of Americans would prefer to die in their homes, free of pain,
surrounded by family and loved ones. Hospice makes this happen.
However, of the 2.4 million people who die in this country each
year, only 25% actually die at home.
ÿ
Hospice and palliative care addresses the
major concerns of most Americans.
™˜—–™˜—–
ÿContinuum Care,
Inc.
Medicare
Certified
St.
Croix (340) 772-CARE
(2273) s Fax (340)
719-7632
St. Thomas and St. John (340) 714 CARE (2273) s Fax (340)
714-2280
www.ccivi.com
Member: National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization
National Association of Home
Cares American Pain
Society s
AARP
Lutheran Social Services s InterFaith
Coalition s Rotary
s Chamber of
Commerce
™˜—–™˜—–
