Hospice of Southwest Iowa

Stacy Stanton talked at the Treynor Optimist Club on November 6 about Hospice of Southwest Iowa.  She has been working there for two months and was hired to focus on fundraising for building a Hospice house on North Broadway.  Jenny Edmundson Hospital donated five acres for the house.  The house will have eight private rooms and facilities for family to participate in patient care.

Hospice of Southwest Iowa is a non-profit hospice program formed in November 2007.  They service an average of 30 patients each day and serviced 421 last year.  Hospice programs focus on comfort care, care of the dying, and effective grieving.  They differ from home care programs which focus on treating illness.  Hospice programs do not focus on treating illness, but on managing pain and comfort for those who are terminally ill.

There are four levels of care for Hospice under Medicare.  Routine Hospice care is primarily provided in a patient’s home or in a nursing home.  Respite care is provided in a Hospice facility for up to five days.  General inpatient care is provided in a hospital or facility when care can no longer be provided in the home setting.  Continuous care is 24 hour in-home care when families need assistance for short periods of time, but prefer to keep the patient in the home. 

Hospice of Southwest Iowa has 62 volunteers who provided 2500 hours of service last year.  They provide direct care through caregiver relief, diversional activities, meal preparation, and household assistance.  They also assist with bereavement, office support, special event assistance, and as advisory board members.

Hospice of Southwest Iowa has a yearly memorial service, which will be November 13 at the New Horizon Presbyterian Church in Council Bluffs.  More information is available at http://www.hospiceofsouthwestiowa.org