Hospice Services

Mt. Hood Hospice offers a well-trained and compassionate team to address the needs of the patients and their families.

Our Approach

Direct, compassionate, hands-on care is provided to the patient by the interdisciplinary team who specializes in hospice care, and pain and symptom management.

The nurse visits as often as necessary, assessing the patient’s needs and helping provide sufficient information to the caregiver to assure safe, palliative care. More frequent visits occur as needed.

Each person approaches death in their own way.  Death is as unique as the individual who is experiencing it.  Mt. Hood Hospice honors the patients’ wishes.  We feel it is a privilege to be invited into your home at such an important time.

Hospice brings to the end-of-life journey a holistic philosophy and practice intended to help patients and families accomplish with dignity the outcomes of self-determined life closure, safe and comfortable dying, and effective grieving.

Since our goal is to allow the end of life to take its natural course, hospice care neither hastens nor postpones death.

Team Members:

• The Patient’s Physician:  Your doctor and the hospice team will work with you and your family to set up a plan of care that meets your needs. 
• The Hospice Medical Director is a physician specially trained to handle pain and symptom management. The Hospice Medical Director oversees the clinical component of the hospice program.  She will work with your physician.
• Registered Nurses have advanced training in hospice care and provide comprehensive nursing services in the patient’s home. On-call staff is available to the patient 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.
• Hospice Aides provide regular personal care in the home in a respectful and professional manner that promotes dignity for the patient.  Hospice Aides can also provide light housekeeping in the patient’s area.
• Medical Social Workers have advanced education in counseling and are trained to help individuals and families cope with emotional, social, and financial stresses associated with life-limiting illnesses and impending loss. They work with both the patient and the family.
• The Bereavement Counselor provides specialized grief support to families following the loss of a loved one. Support groups, reading materials, and individual counseling is open to hospice families and community members for as long as needed after their loss. We often continue supporting family members for many years.
• Volunteers are available who have completed rigorous training to prepare them to help patients and families.
• Physical, Occupational and SpeechTherapists are called in whenever their services would benefit the patient.
• The Hospice Chaplain supports the patient with unconditional regard for all beliefs and values.
• Language Translators are available for non-English speaking patients. Please review our Limited English Proficiency notice.