Covenant Hospice RSS Feed

Emergent Spiritual Care on May 29, 2013 12:00 PM

Wed, 29 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Emergent Spiritual Care
Start Date: May 29, 2013 12:00 PM
End Time: May 29, 2013 1:00 PM
Location: North Baldwin Infirmary, Bay Minette, Alabama
Speaker: Willie Smith, Chaplain

North Baldwin Infirmary

Urinary Tract Infections on May 29, 2013 1:30 PM

Wed, 29 May 2013 18:30:00 GMT

Urinary Tract Infections
Start Date: May 29, 2013 1:30 PM
End Time: May 29, 2013 2:30 PM
Location: D. W. McMillan Hospital, Brewton, Alabama
Speaker: Shona Hall, RN

D. W. McMillan Hospital

Health Boundaries for Caregivers on May 29, 2013 2:45 PM

Wed, 29 May 2013 19:45:00 GMT

Health Boundaries for Caregivers
Start Date: May 29, 2013 2:45 PM
End Time: May 29, 2013 3:45 PM
Location: D. W. McMillan Hospital, Brewton, Alabama
Speaker: Cindy Murphy, BSW

D. W. McMillan Hospital

From Hospital Care to Hospice Care on May 30, 2013 11:30 AM

Thu, 30 May 2013 16:30:00 GMT

From Hospital Care to Hospice Care
Start Date: May 30, 2013 11:30 AM
End Time: May 30, 2013 12:30 PM
Location: Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast, Port St. Joe, FL
Speaker: Kathleen Doran RN

Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast

Beat the Bug: Protect your Patients and Family on May 30, 2013 12:00 PM

Thu, 30 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Beat the Bug: Protect your Patients and Family
Start Date: May 30, 2013 12:00 PM
End Time: May 30, 2013 1:00 PM
Location: Brewton Medical Center, Brewton, Alabama
Speaker: Sharon Davidson, RN

Brewton Medical Center

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals on May 31, 2013 11:00 AM

Fri, 31 May 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals
Start Date: May 31, 2013 11:00 AM
End Time: May 31, 2013 12:00 PM
Location: Cardiology Associates, Baptist Towers, Pensacola, Florida
Speaker: Adam Riner, RN

Cardiology Associates, Baptist Towers

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals on May 31, 2013 11:30 AM

Fri, 31 May 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals
Start Date: May 31, 2013 11:30 AM
End Time: May 31, 2013 12:30 PM
Location: Baptist Medical Park, Pensacola, Florida
Speaker: Sherry Steadham, RN

Baptist Medical Park

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals on May 31, 2013 12:00 PM

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals
Start Date: May 31, 2013 12:00 PM
End Time: May 31, 2013 1:00 PM
Location: Cardiology Associates, Baptist Towers, Pensacola, Florida
Speaker: Adam Riner, RN

Cardiology Associates, Baptist Towers

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals on May 31, 2013 12:30 PM

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:30:00 GMT

Customer Service for Healthcare Professionals
Start Date: May 31, 2013 12:30 PM
End Time: May 31, 2013 1:30 PM
Location: Baptist Medical Park, Pensacola, Florida
Speaker: Sherry Steadham, RN

Baptist Medical Park

Alzheimers Disease Therapy Techniques and Medical Updates on May 31, 2013 1:00 PM

Fri, 31 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Alzheimers Disease Therapy Techniques and Medical Updates
Start Date: May 31, 2013 1:00 PM
End Time: May 31, 2013 2:00 PM
Location: Georgiana Health and Rehabilitation, Georgiana, Alabama
Speaker: Shona Hall, RN

Georgiana Health and Rehabilitation

Program Spotlight - Butterfly Bags

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Covenant Hospice has launched a program to help children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. The Butterfly Bag, part of the Children’s Support Services program, is a specialized grief kit to help children express and process their feelings of grief and loss. The Butterfly Bag contains age-appropriate materials that were carefully selected for use with children who have experienced a loss. Also included in the bags is a Parent Pack, which contains helpful information about how to talk to children about issues related to death and dying.

"Most children cope very well following a loss, provided they are given the opportunity to work through their emotions, ask questions, and find a way to remember their loved one. We created the Butterfly Bag to help children have that opportunity, and to be able to do so in their own homes, with the guidance and support of their families,” said Lee McDonough, life cycle specialist for Covenant Hospice. “We also included information especially for bereaved parents and caregivers, who often have the dual role of helping their children grieve, while also grieving themselves,” said McDonough.

To help support the Butterfly Bag program, make a donation online.

Apr 5, 2011 1:00 PM

Covenant Hospice awards Heart of Hospice to Eden Springs Nursing Home

Don Ruth - noemail@covenanthospice.org — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Tallahassee, FL - Covenant Hospice recently presented the Heart of Hospice Award to Eden Springs Nursing Home upon receipt of a hospice consult at Capital Regional Medical Center on a very sick patient with specific needs. Covenant Hospice worked with the case manager in trying to obtain options for placement and care for the patient. After extensive review of the patients’ needs and multiple attempts at placement of the patient fell through, Eden Springs Nursing Home was positively receptive to evaluating the patient for placement and was willing to accept her even though her case was complex.

Covenant Hospice along with Eden Springs Administrator, Chuck Cascio, were able to coordinate and initiate nursing care, respiratory care and education to the staff with regards to the patients special needs. Inpatient care was extended to the patient by the Covenant Hospice staff in collaboration with Eden Springs staff.

The patient, for the first time in months, was actually smiling and was happy to be at the facility and out of the hospital. She had a wonderful weekend with her family and was content. The patient unfortunately did pass away just a few days later. The compassionate dedicated employees for the Eden Springs Nursing Home were instrumental in providing this patient with loving care in her last days for this we are grateful.

Thank you to Eden Springs for allowing Covenant Hospice to work with you as a team to provide our patient and her family happiness and peace in her last days, which is the intended mission for both of us.

PHOTO:

Cathy Benardella, RN, DON, Chuck Cascio, NHA, Barbara Sutherland, LPN, evening supervisor, Nancy Peters, LPN, MDS Coordinator, Laura Register, RN, unit manager, Elizabeth Schlein, DBO, Covenant Hospice, Donna Davis, RN, ADON

Jun 22, 2010 10:00 AM

Common Hospice Myths

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Hospice is often misunderstood. Sometimes it’s even misunderstood by experts. It is obvious that if even the medical community does not fully understand some facts about hospice, then the public certainly might not know the facts.

Several points come to mind. Perhaps we could call these “hospice myths.” You know, a myth is some mythical story or belief that may not be true. Well, some hospice myths really need to be put to rest.

Myth: Hospice is a place. Most patients and families believe when they hear about hospice care they think they have to go somewhere to receive that care. In fact, not myth, some hospice organizations do have a hospice house. A place or a unit where patients with incurable disease can go to receive care. But that’s not the norm. The norm is that hospice is a service, not a place, and hospice will come to the patient, their home, their nursing home, their assisted living. We even have a patient who is homeless and lets us know where to meet him to provide the care he requires.

Myth: The hospice myth that patients will die immediately when hospice care begins. This is commonly held as a fact but indeed it is a myth, not based on truth at all. Medicare provides the guidance here. Patients who doctors believe can live up to six months have the opportunity to enroll in hospice and take advantage of hospice care for many weeks, even many months. Now it is true that some patients come to hospice very, very late in their disease and they may live only a short time. Often we hear from these patients and their families “if only we had known about hospice earlier we would have signed up”.

Myth: Hospice patients have to give up their own doctor. This is absolutely a myth. Hospice invites family doctors, personal doctors, to continue care of their patients when that patient is enrolled in hospice. Some of the better hospice organizations do have doctors that can make patient visits. But they never interfere with the private doctor and patient relationship.

Myth: Hospice is only for cancer patients. Well, this is not exactly a myth. In the very beginning of hospice most patients were cancer patients. But, over time patients with other diseases—diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s realized that there was a great benefit from hospice care. Now days there are more non-cancer patients enrolled in hospice than there are cancer patients.

Myth: Hospice is too expensive for most families. This is a myth. Hospice is a Medicare benefit. That means that Congress has passed laws that say that people who are on Social Security or are receiving Medicare can have hospice care. It is a 100% benefit; anything related to the terminal diagnosis is paid for by Medicare. Many private insurances also have a hospice benefit and for folks younger than Medicare age they may want to check their health insurance plan to see if there is a hospice benefit.

Myth: All hospice organizations are the same. Although all hospice programs are governed by the same Medicare rules and regulations, hospices are anything but the same. Covenant Hospice is considered one the largest and most comprehensive hospices in the nation.

Jul 27, 2009 11:30 AM

IDG: A Team Approach to Care

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:15:00 GMT

A team approach. The most recognized “team” in healthcare is probably the doctor and the nurse. We have all seen them working together to diagnose, treat, and cure. They each have their own specific job. The doctor is the intellectual diagnostician and the nurse is the compassionate caregiver that provides comfort. For hundreds of years this team has worked very well to provide patient care.

For the best in end of life care, provided by Covenant Hospice, this team approach is taken to a whole new level. The Interdisciplinary Group or IDG is commonly used in the hospice environment. This team approach still includes a doctor, the medical director, and a nurse—often called the clinical manager.

However, beyond the doctor and nurse, several other individuals are involved in the IDT. Each member of this team has the focus of providing the best quality of life for the remaining days of that patient.

Those other team members include licensed social workers, chaplains, volunteers, bereavement (or grief counselors), and sometimes even family members who all work together to understand that particular patient and their needs. These needs often include medical, social and spiritual.

This team approach is so important that the entire team meets every two weeks to talk about each patient which the team is caring for and supporting, and not only the patient, but their family as well.

Each member of the team is given the opportunity for input so that the whole team can provide the care that best benefits the patient and their family. Nearing the end of life is sad and stressful, but knowing that there is an entire team there to support and add life to days when days can no longer be added to life is hopeful and comforting.

Jul 27, 2009 11:15 AM

Hospice Physician: Not a Replacement

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Whenever there is a discussion of hospice, it can sometimes be a very difficult time. Hospice care means end of life care, and that means the realization that the patient has a life-limiting illness. “Life-limiting” — that’s very profound. Most of us, sometime in our life, have an illness or a medical condition and we don’t expect it to be life-limiting. We go to the doctor, the emergency room, or the hospital. We expect it to be diagnosed, treated, and cured. If it can’t be cured then at least we want that disease or medical condition to be controlled.

There are many medical conditions that you could name right now that can’t be cured. Conditions like Diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, and many cancers. Medical science is looking, always doing research in hopes of curing these diseases, but at least in this day and age most of these diseases can be controlled. With proper therapies and medications, life can go on and in most cases be enjoyed. But occasionally the disease cannot be cured and cannot be treated effectively.

Eventually, as we grow very old these conditions become life-limiting. Even though knowing that you or someone you love has life limiting illness, it’s hard to swallow. Thank goodness hospice care is available. Hospice is a specialty of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, and others that as a team cares for patients who are at the end of their life. That hospice team attempts to bring comfort and quality of life to the remaining days of that patient.

The goal of hospice is comfort and symptom control. That means comfort in every area. Spiritual comfort, social comfort and the relief of pain and anxiety. The whole hospice team is there for the patient and their family evaluating the needs and reporting them back to the hospice physician so that care and medications can be in place to comfort that patient.

Most patients and families are often nervous or even afraid to start hospice care because it means accepting the fact that the end of life is near. However, after the patient and the family experience the symptom control, pain relief, the compassion, and the dedication that the hospice team gives to that patient they are grateful, relieved, and often report it is the best medical care they have ever received.

Most national surveys show great patient and family satisfaction with hospice care. The team makes a difference. However, the team does not stand alone. The patient’s primary doctor, the attending physician, the family practitioner that they have been with for years is invited by hospice to continue their involvement. Often, it is the patient’s private doctor that knows them the best, understands their response to medications and treatments and that knows their personality and their spirit.

The hospice team embraces the knowledge that the primary doctor can contribute. The hospice team wants the primary doctor to be involved, to guide therapies, and to actually become part of the hospice team. It’s important to know that taking on hospice doesn’t mean that a patient has to “give up” the family doctor.

Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM

Hospice or Home Health

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Home is where the heart is. Home sweet home. There’s no place like home. We do love our homes and for almost all of us, there is no place we would rather be. Our homes are an extension of ourselves. We find comfort there and hopefully we find love and peace in our homes. When we are away from our homes some of us even develop an illness. It happens to people in the military, in college students, in business people who are often away from their homes. We call this illness “homesick”. It doesn’t really matter where we are, if we aren’t home, we miss it and long to be there.

When, however, we really get sick with an accident or a serious medical condition the hospital is where we receive our medical care. In the hospital we have specialists, technicians, nurses and therapists that can help us through the surgery, illness or the serious medical condition. We all appreciate the high level of quality health care that is provided in a hospital. However, when we start to recover or even get just a little bit better most of us want to go home.

At home, to continue our recovery after a hospitalization there are three options of care. One option is friends and family. If the illness or injury wasn’t too serious, if our hospitalization wasn’t complicated, and if our health is improving our friends and family may give us the support with daily activities, errands, and simple tasks that we need to improve our health.

The second option is home health agencies. Home health agencies provide skilled nurses and aides, social workers, and support for a longer recovery period that may include rehabilitation and perhaps other special care like post surgical dressing changes or special nutrition support. Home health agencies exist in every community whether a large city or a small farm community.

In the last several years Medicare has changed home health from a nearly pure care giving situation to a combination of care giving and education. Now days to qualify as a home health patient there must be identified a healthy, able, caregiver in the home. A husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, or even a good friend who can commit themselves to the education that the home health agency gives them so that they, not just the nurses, the aides, or the other home health staff can provide care but that private individual will be responsible for the majority of the care for the patient. For those patients who are receiving Social Security Medicare usually covers the cost of the home health agency care.

The third option is hospice care. Immediately hospice care sounds like the end of life care, and it is, but it isn’t about the very end of life. It’s not about the last hours or days of life. Hospice care is a Medicare benefit and for those patients who may have a life limiting illness, not limited to days but perhaps weeks, even months, even several months at that, hospice care provides all of the benefits of friends and family care, all of the benefits of home health agency care, plus volunteers, chaplains, social workers, grief counselors and specialized doctors as well as the nurses and hospice aides that provide such wonderful, compassionate care.

It is very hard to think about hospice care because that does mean end of life care. Even if it’s the last five or six months of life, most people don’t want to think about letting go or “giving up.” However, hospice care can absolutely be the most appropriate care. If someone, a patient, needs to go to the hospital for an illness or a surgery and they can completely recover they don’t need hospice care or probably don’t even need home health care.

If there goal is after a hospitalization or a serious illness to rehabilitate and recover then home health agency care would be the best option. But sometimes, and eventually, for all of us we will have a medical condition or an illness from which we cannot recover (we are not immortal on this earth). For patients who have tried their best to recover from illness, those who have used all of the strength possible to rehabilitate back to a healthy state, who have given everything they’ve got to get well but do not and it is finally realized by the patient and their family that they have come to a place in their life where more hospitalizations, more physical therapy, more medications will not improve their life then at home (home sweet home) hospice care may be the best option of all.

Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM

Hospice Inpatient Facilities

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

It seems that our whole life is about planning. We plan for a new baby to come into the family. We plan for high school graduations, for new jobs, for a move to a new home. We plan for our retirement and many families even plan for the burial of a loved one by buying plots far ahead of time. Those plans seem productive, even ordinary. But planning for death—it just seems like something we don’t want to think about. By giving it thought and planning we can bring comfort and some sense of peace to that person’s passing.

One of the ways to plan is to think in your own life how you would want to die. Ask your loved ones, even when they are well before the sign of any progressive medical condition or disease process, what they would want at the end of their life. Covenant Hospice has done exactly that. They’ve asked the questions—what do you want at the end of your life, how do you want to die. The answers come in two major forms. If the person being asked is very healthy, bright, alert, and capable they often respond by saying “I want to be very, very old when I die, I want to have lived a full life, and I want to die peacefully”. On the other hand, when a person who is terminally ill or realizing that their death may come within weeks or months their answer is a bit different “I want to be comfortable and pain free. I want to have my family and friends come together in joy and happiness around me. I want to be at home and not in the hospital hooked to tubes and machines.” Would your answers be similar?

A long and full life. Well, no one can guarantee that. But a pain free and comfortable life surrounded by family and friends at home are just the kind of wishes that hospice organizations help to fulfill. The doctors, nurses, and other hospice caregivers are experts in pain and symptom management. So, peace, comfort, and a pain free life is what they can help with. Covenant Hospice social workers, chaplains, and volunteers do their very best to bring family and friends together to celebrate life and joy.

Most end of life patients want to die at home and hospice provides that support by making house calls, home visits and practically the whole hospice team can bring the medications, medical supplies, evaluations, examinations, and support right to the person’s bedside in the comfort of their own home. Sometimes, however, the needs of the patient cannot be met at home. Perhaps, a hospital bed, oxygen tanks, a bedside commode just won’t fit in the house. Other times the patient’s symptoms may be so extraordinary that in order to guarantee comfort that person needs to be with nurses and caregivers around the clock. Or maybe the stresses are just too much for the patient and family and they just can’t handle all of the care that needs to be delivered at home. In those cases many hospice organizations provide a home like environment in inpatient units. These are actually facilities standing alone or attached to a hospital where hospice patients can move to receive the care and support that they and their families require.

The key word here is move not transfer. Transfer sounds so sterile and medical—like transferring from one medical unit to another. No, indeed, this is a move where the patient and the family can move the patient, their favorite pictures, the family Bible, perhaps a rocking chair to the facility to be comfortable. Because most patients want to have their last days at home these facilities provide a home like environment, they become the patient’s home where families are welcomed around the clock without limited visiting hours. Where homemade food can be brought in, enjoyed and even shared. The Covenant Hospice inpatient units are a home to the patient and their family where the medical care, medications, treatments can all be provided by the staff and the love and attention can be provided by the friends and family.

Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM

Hospice: Not Just for Cancer

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

When you are feeling bad or have a new health problem you go to the doctor for tests and a diagnosis. While you are waiting for that diagnosis it is human nature to worry…to worry about what might be wrong with you…what is the problem, what is the disease, what is the diagnosis. One of the reasons for worry is the scariest diagnosis of all—cancer.

For any of us cancer just seems to be that terrible medical word that is associated with death. So much so that when someone has a diagnosis of cancer and they fight the good fight, take all of the treatments and survive we celebrate them. Who hasn’t seen the ladies in pink shirts who are breast cancer survivors? All of us have heard stories of friends or family members who have had colon cancer and survived, men who have had prostate cancer and survived. We celebrate survivors of cancer.

With new and modern technology hopefully we will celebrate more of those survivors because today cancer isn’t a death sentence. In fact, more people with cancer survive than succumb. Still, it is a devastating diagnosis and usually the first reaction is shock and disbelief that it could happen to us or someone we love. The second reaction is what can we do about it? What treatments are available, what are our chances for a cure? Those are absolutely the right questions and the right emotions.

What becomes apparent over days, weeks, even months is that there is hope for patients with cancer. Truly, there is no end to that hope. Initially, we hope and work for a cure, but if that is impossible then we hope and strive for control, at least, we might live longer with this disease.

Finally, if the cancer increases or spreads and starts to consume our energy patients and their families learn that there is still hope and that’s the hope of having the final days of their lives enriched and comforted by hospice care. Hospice care is end of life care that is aimed at pain control, comfort, and care at home with family if that is at all possible.

Hospice makes wishes come true. Maybe not the wise to have the cancer go away but the wish to die with dignity, with self respect, without pain, at home, with family. Hospice had its beginnings and foundation built on the respectful, comforting care of cancer patients. But times are changing. People are living longer and often living and finally dying of chronic disease. Like strokes, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, lung disease, and fewer patients with a cancer diagnosis are dying because of the cancer.

Now days, hospice isn’t just for cancer patients anymore. Anyone who has a diagnosis, cancer or otherwise, who is facing the last weeks or months of their life can have hospice provide them with the comforting care that makes everyday special even when more days cannot be added to life.

So if you or someone you love has an illness or a medical condition that’s not cancer you still will want to check into the benefits of hospice. It’s not easy facing the end of life, but it is easier with hospice care.

Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM

Hope

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

When it comes to our health “hope” is a very strong and even intense word. For minor illnesses, we hope we get over them soon. For chronic, long term medical conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis we hope to control them. We hope the patient can follow the doctor’s orders and have a good quality of life. For life threatening diseases like cancer, strokes, serious heart attacks we hope the patient can fight the disease and beat it.

Generally we hope that the patient can have a cure and not die. That kind of hope, along with support and perhaps mixed with prayer, can make a world of difference in a patient’s life. They know that they are important. They know that they are being cared for and being cared about. That kind of hope often gives the patient the emotional support to be brave and courageous in the face of serious disease or difficult treatment.

Hope, when realized along with good medical treatment and lots of support may mean that the disease is cured. Or medical conditions are controlled and the patient, the person we are hoping for, can live a long life that is also filled with quality. Sometimes our hopes are not answered and disease shortens life. Even when our hopes are answered life is not endless.

Now theologians and spiritual leaders may say that life is endless and that we can experience immortality. Well I’ll leave that to your own personal faith. However, we can all agree that in our present body we will come to the end of our life. For ninety percent of us, those of us who don’t die very suddenly, we may have an opportunity actually to see before us into the future the last days, weeks, or months of our lives.

When our days, weeks or our months are numbered, and whether we are very old and a cure was effective or whether we are still young and the cure was not effective, how can we anticipate the end of our life, understand it, plan for it, and still nurture the most quality for whatever time we have left? For decades now, hospice has focused on exactly this issue.

When life is limited the quality of life does not automatically have to be limited. Covenant Hospice provides care and compassion when curing a disease is no longer possible. Covenant Hospice is not a place to give up… it’s a place to live up. Live up to our maximum potential for as long as we possibly can. With symptoms controlled, individuality respected, and family supported, hospice focuses on life. In Covenant Hospice when a cure is no longer possible, care is always possible.

Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM

Can My Doctor Provide Hospice Care?

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:00 GMT

The short answer is yes, of course but now days no answer could be quite that simple. Family doctors, internists, geriatricians, even pediatricians, specialists like surgeons and cancer specialists can all provide hospice care.

Doctors who know their patients very well may know hospice care only to a limited degree. Oh, doctors, any doctors, understand that hospice care is comfort care and symptom control near the end of life. Most doctors, whether they know much about hospice or not, seem to understand that comfort and compassion are the foundation principles of hospice care. Therefore, doctors certainly can provide comfort. Most doctors understand how to relieve pain, calm anxiety, improve depression, and provide compassion to their patients.

Doctors are confident professionals and frequently I am told that doctors don’t need a hospice organization to provide hospice care. They explain to me that hospice is not only an organization of doctors and nurses but rather hospice is a philosophy of care. A philosophy that embraces acceptance of a life limiting illness or disease, a philosophy that focuses on comfort and compassion, and therefore any doctor can embrace the hospice philosophy. And, I have to agree with them.

Hospice is absolutely a philosophy of care. It’s a philosophy of embracing the patient and family. Not the test. Not the x-ray results. Not a new medication. But focuses absolutely and completely on the patient and family needs. The patient’s need to cope with their illness and disease. The family’s need to support someone they love. The patient’s need for symptoms control, pain management, and attention to depression and loss. But what the hospice organization has that the philosophy alone does not are people.

We’ve got people. We’ve got people with the philosophy, we embrace and endorse that philosophy that family doctors and cancer doctors speak of. But with that philosophy we’ve added people. We’ve added doctors and nurses and hospice aides to give a gentle bath. We’ve added chaplains, not to preach, but to listen and support the patient and their family with whatever their personal needs and their spiritual needs might be.

We’ve got social workers who want to understand the patient as a person, where are they in their life because after all it’s life that’s important not just the dying. Social workers focus on supporting and family with whatever their needs might be. Grief counselors and bereavement specialists are there because any terminal illness comes with a sense of loss—often despair, anxiety, stress, fear, and depression.

For the patient’s while they are still living who may be grieving about their disease or their terminal illness bereavement specialists are there for them and for the families long after the patient is gone. Our grief counselors are supporters. We have nurses in hospice who understand the symptoms, the common symptoms, the severe symptoms that they are specially trained to understand and doctors, hospice physicians, who are specialists in their field but compassionate and caring as well. Hospice physicians are not remote, sterile specialists. They are hands on, heart on doctors who care about the patients and families they serve.

So doctors who know the hospice philosophy but don’t understand the hospice organization fully can provide connected care, compassionate care, and comfort care but only as one physician. When they use that wonderful hospice philosophy and join it to a hospice organization now that family doctor, that internist, that geriatrician or cancer specialist can connect their own personal philosophy to the hospice people that can join with the family and loved ones to provide the care and support that any patient with life limiting illness deserves.

Jul 27, 2009 11:00 AM

Covenant Hospice Named as Prestigious 2013 HOSPICE HONORS Recipient

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Covenant Hospice has been named a 2013 Hospice Honors recipient, a prestigious award recognizing hospice agencies providing the best patient care as rated by the patient’s caregiver. The not-for-profit hospice organization earned the recognition for care delivered at the Joyce Goldenberg Inpatient Residence and at the Inpatient and Palliative Care Center at West Florida Hospital.

Established by Deyta, this prestigious annual honor recognizes the top 100 agencies that continuously provide the highest level of satisfaction through their care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. Deyta used the Family Evaluation of Hospice Care (FEHC) survey results from over 1,200 partnering hospice agencies contained in its national, FEHC database with an evaluation period of January through December 2012. Deyta used the five key drivers of caregiver satisfaction as the basis of the Hospice Honors calculations.

“Hospice Honors defines a new standard of excellence in the patient/family experience for hospice agencies,” says Dale O. Knee, Covenant Hospice President and CEO, “We are honored to be recognized as an organization that has demonstrated high quality of care to both patients and caregivers. That positive family experience is a key driver of ongoing patient-focused care and our overall success.”

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, Covenant Hospice is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate services to patients and loved ones during times of life-limiting illnesses. For more information about Covenant Hospice or to make a hospice inquiry, contact the local branch office at 850-202-0840 or visit www.covenanthospice.org.

# # #

Alzheimer's Family Services offers training for new volunteers

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Alzheimer’s Family Services, (AFS) is seeking individuals who are interested in making a difference in the lives of caregivers and in supporting the organization. Alzheimer’s CARE (Caregivers Assistance, Reaching-out and Educating) provides trained volunteers to care for caregivers. Volunteers may provide telephone support, make visits, run errands, bring educational materials or provide short breaks for caregivers.

The program is open to all interested volunteers who complete the screening and training requirements. Alzheimer’s CARE Volunteer Training will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at Covenant Hospice, located at 5041 North 12th Avenue. A light lunch and drinks will be provided.

There is no charge for this workshop. However, reservations are requested by calling (850) 478-7790. No special background or experience is required to volunteer for Alzheimer’s Family Services. Time commitment is flexible and based on volunteer availability. Individuals who have cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or other dementias understand the tremendous needs that caregivers may experience. These simple services make a profound difference.

Alzheimer’s Family Services, Inc. is an affiliate of Covenant Hospice and is a private, not-for-profit organization serving Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties in Florida and Escambia and Baldwin counties in Alabama. All services are provided through private donations and grants.

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Covenant Hospice raises awareness about advance directives during Hospice and Palliative Care Month

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla.- Covenant Hospice wants to share an important message with the community this November during National Hospice and Palliative Care Month: it's never too early to begin the conversation of a lifetime and create an advance directive. Our team is committed to providing education to the community about advance care planning, said Dale O. Knee, Covenant Hospice President & CEO. It is important for everyone to have an advance directive regardless of present health status. For information about obtaining and filling out an advance directive in your state, please visit www.covenanthospice.org/begintheconversation. Hospice care provides expert pain management, symptom control, psycho-social support and spiritual care to patients and families when a cure is not possible. All the necessary medicines and equipment needed to keep a patient comfortable can be brought right to the home, which is where most Americans would like to be if at all possible. Hospice makes...

Covenant Hospice to celebrate Pastoral Care Week

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 14:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Covenant Hospice will honor the contributions of its dedicated chaplains during Pastoral Care Week, October 21 - 27. Each day pastoral care givers are invited into the life experiences of women, men, children, and organizations. Faith can be tested and many questions arise about the meaning of suffering and pain near the end-of-life. Pastoral caregivers bring many gifts to the process of healing and wholeness. They are trained to help individuals draw on their own faith traditions and teachings for comfort and guidance as they walk through dark valleys.

In 2011, Covenant Hospice chaplains made over 13,500 calls and visits to patients facing life-limiting illnesses and their families, and were asked to officiate at over 470 funerals. “Our chaplains are often referred to as ‘angels among us’ by the patients and families we serve,” said Dale O. Knee, Covenant Hospice President & CEO. “We are truly humbled by the work they do as part of our team and appreciate the opportunity to honor them each year.”

Covenant Hospice is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate services to patients and loved ones during times of life-limiting illnesses. To receive care or find out more about the organization visit www.covenanthospice.org. You can also locate them on Facebook and Twitter (@CovenantHospice.)

Held first in 1984, Pastoral Care Week is sponsored by the Coalition on Ministry in Specialized Settings Network (COMISS) a national organization of pastoral care providers, pastoral care professionals, and faith group endorsers. Now in its 27^thyear, the week-long observance promotes spiritual values as a part of the healing process and invites us to celebrate the work of caregivers in such settings as hospitals, hospices and nursing homes.

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Covenant Hospice to celebrate National Nursing Assistants Week

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Covenant Hospice will honor the work of its Nursing Assistants who provide compassionate hospice and palliative “care when it counts the most” to individuals facing end-of-life issues during this year's 35^thAnnual National Nursing Assistants Week, celebrated June 14-21 throughout the United States.

Hospice Aides give “hands on” or personal care which includes: bathing, dressing, hygienic care, light housekeeping, and simple meal preparation. Many of the Hospice Aides at Covenant Hospice are Certified Hospice and Palliative Care professionals and have years of experience working with hospice patients.

National Nursing Assistants Week begins on June 14, marked as Career Nursing Assistants Day, which is set aside each year to recognize longevity of service, special contributions to care practices and accomplishments of the nursing assistants who have made caring their life career.

Nursing Assistants provide predictability and stability to care, which in turn enhances the feeling of security for our aging, frail, or chronically challenged citizens. They bring wisdom, patience, humor, and a general attitude of caring to the daily lives of their patients.

Covenant Hospice is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate services to patients and loved ones during times of life-limiting illnesses. To receive care or find out more about the organization visit www.covenanthospice.org. You can also connect with them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Covenant.Hospice) and Twitter (@CovenantHospice)

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Covenant Hospice achieves We Honor Veterans Partner Level Three status by making a difference in the lives of Veterans

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla.- Covenant Hospice announced today the not-for-profit organization has reached Partner Level Three Status with the We Honor Veterans campaign just over one year after becoming a program participant. As the only Level Three partner serving northwest Florida and south Alabama, Covenant Hospice has developed and integrated specialized care plans for Veterans and their families, created Veteran-specific educational material and provided outreach to staff, volunteers and the community. For Pam Edwards, VP of Clinical Services for Covenant Hospice, participation in the program is an extension of the commitment she made when she became a nurse in the Army. It was my honor to care for our service members in peacetime as well as war, said Edwards. Now, I'm proud to continue caring for Veterans and their families with Covenant Hospice and I am excited we have achieved another milestone within the We Honor Veterans program. Edwards, the daughter of Marine who...

Pensacola community leaders selected as Assistant Professorial Lecturers at The George Washington University

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:45:00 GMT

PENSACOLA, Fla.– Quint Studer, noted author & founder of the Studer Group and Dale O. Knee, PhD, President & CEO of Covenant Hospice and Co-General Manager of the Studer Covenant Alliance, will be serving as Assistant Professorial Lecturers at The George Washington University’s Schoolof Health Services, in Washington, D.C., during the week of March 26. Also joining them as a Lecturer will be Debbie Ritchie, COO of the Studer Group.

Knee, who is a graduate of The George Washington University, an Associate Professor at the University of West Florida, and recent Lecturer at the University of Texas School of Medicine, will be sharing with graduate students and faculty members a view of the future in the post-acute world of healthcare, as it will be affected by the aging population and changes in the delivery systems of U.S. healthcare. Studer and Ritchie will assist and coach the students in developing a better understanding for the need for leadership development in healthcare and how the Studer Principles of leadership development can contribute in meeting that need. The three lecturers will be sharing useful tools for the students to use as they embark on their healthcare careers not only in the U.S. but in other countries.

The Studer Group works with over 800 healthcare organizations in the U.S. and beyond in helping them achieve, sustain, and accelerate exceptional clinical, operational, and financial outcomes.

Covenant Hospice, headquartered in Pensacola, provides services to over 6,500 terminally-ill patients annually in 50 counties throughout northwest Florida and southern Alabama. Covenant also operates a subsidiary company, Alzheimer’s Family Services and manages one of the nation’s largest specialty hospice services for children.

The Studer Covenant Alliance provides similar leadership development services as the Studer Group, but specializes in the post-acute healthcare sectors.

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Covenant Hospice and Bay Medical Center announce plans for new hospice and palliative care center

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:00:00 GMT

PENSACOLA/PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Covenant Hospice and Bay Medical Center announced today their intention to develop a new 15-bed hospice inpatient and palliative care center and associated support space within Bay Medical Center. Covenant Hospice will lease and operate the space, utilizing private rooms and additional support services from Bay Medical Center. The Covenant Hospice Inpatient and Palliative Care Center at Bay Medical Center will provide a comprehensive range of hospice and palliative services to patients throughout the communities served by the two organizations, as well as serving as a location to support other community healthcare organizations. This innovative approach to offering hospice and palliative care will be the first of its kind in the area. The 11,000 square foot center will be on the third floor of Bay Medical Center, located at 615 N. Bonita Ave. A May 2012 opening is projected.Staff on the unit will include physicians, registered nurses,...

Covenant Hospice achieves We Honor Veterans Partner Level Two Status

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Pensacola, Fla.- Covenant Hospice announced today the not-for-profit organization has met the strict requirements to reach Partner Level Two Status with the We Honor Veterans campaign. This accomplishment exhibits a sound commitment to serving our nations heroes. Earlier this year, Covenant Hospice became a national partner of We Honor Veterans, a pioneering campaign developed by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the department of Veterans Affairs. As a Level Two partner, Covenant Hospice will be required to further show their capacity to provide quality care for Veterans. In June, the organization obtained Partner Level One Status by creating Veteran-specific educational material and providing presentations to staff, volunteers and the community. Covenant Hospice has partnered with local organizations to collaboratively serve Veterans and has participated in community events such as the Emerald...

Covenant Hospice raises awareness during Hospice and Palliative Care Month

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Pensacola, Fla.- Covenant Hospice wants to share an important message with the community this November during National Hospice and Palliative Care Month: Hospice and palliative care providers take the time to make sure patients understand their illness and what care options might be available. Patient wishes are a top priority and caregivers make sure they get the quality, compassionate care they want and deserve. We work hard all year to make sure people know that support, comfort and respect are available at a time when hope seems out of reach, said Dale O. Knee, Covenant Hospice President & CEO. Yet during November, we ramp up our efforts to raise awareness of the high-quality care that's available during one of life's most challenging times. Hospice care provides expert pain management, symptom control, psycho-social support and spiritual care to patients and families when a cure is not possible. All the...

Covenant Hospice Media Society

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:41:06 GMT

About the Media Society The Covenant Hospice Media Society is a group of media professionals who have gone above and beyond to support the special events, programs and mission of Covenant Hospice. Each year, several new media professionals from our service area are recognized for their commitment to Covenant Hospice and added to the Media Society. Covenant Hospice Media Society Inductees Class of 2012 Sandy Buckley, Emerald Ladies Journal (Print), Crestview/Niceville Service Areas Bud Ford, WDHN (TV), Dothan Service Area Allison Bradley, WALA Fox 10 (TV), Mobile/Daphne Service Areas Deborah Buckhalter, Jackson County Floridan (Print), Marianna Service Area Paris Janos, WJHG-7 (TV), Panama City Service Area Vici Papajohn, Gulf Breeze News (Print), Pensacola/Milton Service Areas William Snowden, Wakulla News (Print), Tallahassee Service Area Class of 2011 Lisa Captain, Cumulus Broadcasting (Radio), Crestview/Niceville...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:47:54 GMT

Throughout our lifetime, we plan for many things. We make grocery lists, we write down appointments and deadlines on our calendars, we plan to buy houses, we clip coupons to save money, we plan for holidays, parties, weddings and barbeques. We plan to go back to school and make career changes, we plan for our retirement, to travel and to spend more time with our families and loved ones. But some of us never think about the end of our life, much less have a conversation about it. A life well-lived can also be a life well-ended. Especially when our very personal wishes are combined with a plan that documents those wishes. Making decisions ahead of time and putting our wishes in writing can bring peace of mind to us - and our loved ones. It helps to avoid the often difficult situation when a person becomes ill and loved ones are left to guess what that person's true wishes may be. Don't wait to discuss...

Covenant Hospice Inpatient and Palliative Care Center at Bay Medical Center - Sacred Heart Health System Dedication Opportunities

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:47:32 GMT

About Covenant Hospice Since 1983, the staff and volunteers of Covenant Hospice have been committed to our mission of providing compassionate care to our patients, their families and the communities we serve. Covenant is a not-for-profit organization and is proud to be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) which is widely recognized as the highest level of standards for healthcare providers. Covenant Hospice also partners with all local hospitals and most assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Last year we were honored to have cared for more than 6,500 patients throughout our service area and almost 800 patients by way of our Panama City office. The Panama City branch office covers Bay and Gulf counties in Florida. Covenant Hospice has ten more branch offices including Marianna, Niceville and Tallahassee. Yet, so much remains to be done. For that reason, we look...

Introducing the Text to Give Program

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:24:02 GMT

Text the word COMFORT to 20222 to make a $10 donation to Covenant Hospice. A $10 charge will appear on your next phone bill. It's a quick and easy way to make a big difference! Depending on your carrier, you may text COMFORT three (3) to five (5) times a month for Covenant Hospice donations. Message and data rates may apply. A one-time donation of $10.00 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Donor must be age 18+ and all donations must be authorized by the account holder. By texting YES, the user agrees to the terms and conditions. All charged are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of Covenant Hospice by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. Message & Data...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Covenant Hospice Inpatient & Palliative Care Center at Bay Medical Center - Sacred Heart Health System

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:03:01 GMT

Are patients with a very limited life expectancy the only ones admitted to the Covenant Hospice Inpatient & Palliative Care Center at Bay Medical Center - Sacred Heart Hospital System? No, we accept patients in all phases of hospice care, from those in a crisis such as pain control, respiratory distress, or acute change in status, to those who are approaching the end of life. Patients also come to the center for many reasons. Some are too ill to be cared for at home and may spend their last days with us. Many patients also come to the center with the full intent of returning to their nursing home, assisted living facility or private residence with family. They simply need help managing their medications or learning how to handle a new disease challenge that has come their way. Can a patient's condition improve while staying at the Care Center? Yes, some people actually improve when they are made comfortable and when symptoms caused by aggressive...

Butterfly Bags

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:17:08 GMT

Covenant Hospice launched a new program in 2011 to help children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. The Butterfly Bag Program, part of the Children and Family Support Services, is a specialized grief kit to help children express and work through their feelings of grief and loss. The Butterfly Bag contains age-appropriate materials that were carefully selected for use with children who have experienced a loss. Also included in the bag is a Parent Pack, which contains helpful information about how to talk to children about issues related to death and dying.

Most children cope very well following a loss, provided they are given the opportunity to work through their emotions, ask questions, and find a way to remember their loved one. The Butterfly Bag Program was created to do just that, in the comfort of the child's own home with the guidance and support of their families.

A recent survey of active participants in the Butterfly Bag Program illustrated parents/caregivers had an improved level of confidence in talking with their children about death and dying as well as assisting their children through their grief work by utilizing the materials included the butterfly bag. As a direct result of this improved level of parental/caregiver confidence, their children’s behavior have also improved.

The Butterfly Bag Program is available to any child and their family within the Covenant Hospice service areas free of charge.

To help support the Butterfly Bag Program, make a donation online or for more information, contact Children and Family Support Services at Covenant Hospice at (850) 433-2155 or your local branch.

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Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:31:13 GMT

Partners In Care - Together For Kids

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:04:06 GMT

Program Overview

Partners in Care - Together for Kids (PIC-TFK) is a Florida-based program of specialized support services for children.

Children will continue to receive aggressive curative treatment while in this program in addition to receiving an overlay of supportive/palliative care services.
Children will be referred by their primary care physician to Children's Medical Services who will then refer to Covenant Hospice's PIC TFK program.
PIC TFK is a demonstration program that is a joint effort with the Florida Department of Health, Agency for Health Care Administration (Florida Medicaid) and Florida Hospices and Palliative Care Organization.
PIC TFK is a Children's Hospice International Program for All-Inclusive Care for Children and Their Families (CHI-PACC) program model.
Covenant Hospice was the first site in the Nation to enroll a child into this program in April 2004.

Services Available:

Individual, group, family/caregiver counseling
Supportive therapies
In-home respite care
Pain and symptom control consultation
Palliative in-home nursing
Palliative in-home personal care
Bereavement counseling
Volunteer services
24-hour a day on-call counseling service

To be eligible for the PIC TFK program, a child must have Medicaid as his or her primary insurance, be enrolled in the Children's Medical Services Network, diagnosed with a potentially life-limiting condition, and reside in the service area. For more information contact Covenant Hospice at 850-433-2155 or our local Children's Medical Services office.

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Partners In Care Newsletters

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:34:53 GMT

PIC Home Newsletter Education Staff PIC Toolkit Summer 2008 Issue If you have any ideas, articles, or shout-outs you would like to see published in our upcoming PIC Newsletter, we want to know! Please contact us by emailing karen.cash@covenanthospice.org . Archives: 2008 Spring 2007 Fall 2007 Summer 2006 Summer 2005 Fall 2005 Spring 2004 Fall 2004 Spring 2003 Fall 2003 Spring

A Message from President & CEO, Dale O. Knee

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:55:45 GMT

On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and volunteer of Covenant Hospice, I would like to personally thank you for visiting our website to learn more about Covenant Hospice and the services we provide. We feel so fortunate to be able to provide care to almost 1,300 patients throughout 35 counties each and every day. I hope that our website has provided you helpful information about end-of-life issues, and I hope that when the times comes, that you will entrust your loved one to our care. I am going to address some questions below that we receive frequently here at Covenant Hospice. However, if you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Dale O. Knee President & CEO of Covenant Hospice About Dale Knee Frequently Asked Hospice Questions Who is eligible for hospice? Do patients have to give up their own doctors? Is hospice care only for cancer patients? I live in an assisted living facility or nursing home. Why would I...

Lorem ipsum survey

noemail@covenanthospice.org — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 16:23:35 GMT

Objectives:

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Release Date: Jul 17, 2006 11:23 AM
Expiration Date: Oct 17, 2006 11:23 AM

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