Physicians from Hospice of
Kimes are available to provide consultation
to the patient and/or to the patient's personal
physician. They work in conjunction with other
team members to ensure the patient's goals are
being met, and are available to make home visits
as needed.
Registered Nurses are
responsible for coordinating all services for
the patient. Direct nursing services include
assessment, teaching, administering medications,
evaluation of the disease process, emotional
support for the patient and the patient's loved
ones, and other treatments as ordered by the
physician. Nursing services emphasize palliative
care to relieve distressful symptoms. Nurses
make visits to the patients as often as needed.
Medical Social Workers / Bereavement
Coordinators
provide counseling and support on psychosocial,
emotional, and financial issues. They can help
to resolve issues, promote open communication,
and assure that the patient and the patient's
family are experiencing normal feelings and
emotions. They also help in coordinating
referrals to external resources. They offer
support designed to ensure that opportunities
exist for the patient, the patient's family, and
supportive network to grieve effectively.
Spiritual Counselors are available to
provide spiritual care, as requested. Chaplains
also work in conjunction with the patient, the
patient's family, and the community clergy.
Hospice Aides are available as
needed to provide personal care such as giving
showers and baths, providing skin care, and
personal hygiene. He or she can assist in
activities of daily living and even homemaking
services, providing in-home support as needed,
with light housekeeping, grocery shopping,
laundry, and errands.
Volunteers are available to
assist the patient and the patient's family in
many ways. Volunteers are integral members of
the Hospice of Kimes team providing an
array of supportive services, including relief
for the caregiver, as well as companionship and
emotional support for the patient.
Hospice of Kimes volunteers receive
extensive training and ongoing support.
Physical, Occupational, and Speech
Therapy — Each patient referred for
rehabilitation services will receive in-depth
functional evaluations and assessments before
treatment and education are initiated. Such
assessments may include ability to perform ADLs
and IADLs, range of motion, muscle strength,
gait, including assistive devices, bed or
wheelchair mobility, transfers, housekeeping and
home maintenance, dysphagia and oral
communication, quality of life, current
functional level, independence, self-care, and
self-responsibility. The patient is involved in
the implementation of the rehabilitation care
plan, including identifying actions or
interventions to achieve goals, coordinating and
collaborating with Hospice of Kimes staff
regarding interventions, potential risks and
benefits of rehabilitation care are communicated
to patient/family, and documentation of care
planning will include patient's treatment
choices and expectations, responses to
interventions, progress toward goals, and
changes in condition. Each patient will be
reassessed every visit for progress toward goals
and compliance with and implementation of the
rehabilitation care plan. Rehabilitation
treatment plans and goals are individualized to
each patient and designed to assist the patient
in maintaining self-function, independence,
and/or self-care. Services provided will be
planned to meet each patient's individualized
needs including age-specific needs as
appropriate. Goals and outcomes are directed
toward maintaining the patient's self-care,
responsibility, quality of life, and level of
functioning. Rehabilitative therapies will be
provided by a registered/certified physician or
occupational therapist.
Dietary Counseling — Dietary
counseling, when identified in the plan of care,
will be performed by a nutritionist, nurse, or
other individual who is able to address and
assure that the patient's dietary needs are met.
Home Medical Equipment related to the
terminal illness — provided by
Hospice of Kimes through Family Oxygen
and Medical Equipment.
Drugs and biologicals related to the
terminal illness — provided by
Hospice of Kimes through Hospice
Pharmacia.
Short-term general inpatient care —
Kimes Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
(in Athens) provides inpatient care for patients
needing short- or long-term active intervention.
This Center provides daily visits from a Hospice
physician, registered nurses, and hospice aides,
direct care provided by a specially trained team
24 hours a day, seven days a week, an attractive
facility, and much more. O'Bleness Memorial
Health Systems (in Athens), one of our contract
hospitals, provides acute care for patients in a
hospital environment when needed.
Respite Care is the level of
care most commonly used when the patient's
caregiver(s) would benefit from some relief from
the day-to-day care they provide at home.
Respite care is most often provided in an
inpatient setting. Inpatient respite care
requires that a nurse be available 24 hours a
day and is limited to five consecutive days.
Continuous Care is provided
during a crisis period, as necessary, to
maintain the patient at home when the patient's
care needs are equal to or more than eight hours
per day and more than 50% of the time requires
skilled nursing care. Nurses and hospice aides
monitor acute symptoms that require more
intensive and continuous nursing care than is
generally provided under routine home care.
Other members of the Hospice of Kimes
team may also provide care during this time. It
is expected that continuous care be short-term.
