Hospice Care – Help for Those Living with a Terminal IllnessAvow Hospice

Help for Those Living with a Terminal Illness

Hospice care is for people who are terminally ill, when the focus is on making them comfortable, not curing their condition. People of any age, from infants to seniors, can benefit from hospice. It’s important to understand hospice care supports but does not replace other full-time caregivers. Additionally, while patient care is the heart of hospice, hospice also supports each patient’s family. Avow’s hospice services don’t end with the patient’s passing. In fact, ongoing grief support for the entire family is available at Avow.

Call Avow 24/7 for Patient Access

Anyone can ask for a hospice admissions consultation for himself, herself, or someone they love. A physician order is not required.

Our Patient Access Department is always open. Call us at (239) 261-4404 or 888-484-AVOW (2869) for an appointment.

The Avow Hospice Care Team

Hospice is unique in that it offers patients and families a team of caregivers. In fact, members of an Avow patient’s team include:

A physician (either the patient’s private doctor and/or an Avow physician) who oversees the medical care
An Avow nurse, who makes regularly scheduled visits and coordinates care with other team members
A social services coordinator who helps with the psychological and social aspects of the illness and grief

Integrated therapists who offer massage therapy, art therapy and music therapy for comfort, pain relief and improved quality of life
A spiritual care coordinator who provides spiritual support
A home health aide who assists with personal care
Volunteers who visit with patients to give family members a break from caregiving

Care Where the Patient Lives

Hospice is not a building, like a hospital. When most people “enter a hospice program,” they receive care in the comfort of their own home — a house, apartment, mobile home or similar dwelling. “Home” can also be a nursing home, assisted living facility, jail cell, shelter, or even the woods.

Crisis Care at Home

Avow’s crisis care team can provide 24/7 intensive care in the patient’s private home or nursing/assisted living facility when there is a short-term need for crisis intervention.

General Inpatient Care at Georgeson Hospice House

Sometimes, patients need a level of care that cannot be provided at home. When that is the case, our medical director may recommend short-term inpatient care in Avow’s Frances Georgeson Hospice House.

Paying for Hospice Services

We accept Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and personal funds for payment of care. In fact, we work with patients and families to make the payment process as simple as it can be. Please note, most patients with Medicaid, Medicare or commercial insurance will be responsible for deductibles and/or coinsurance for hospice services, as determined by their insurance carrier.

However, no Collier County resident who qualifies for hospice care will be denied that care because of inability to pay. Patients and families are invited to call our Finance Department at (239) 430-3461 to discuss payment options.

Quality Certified by The Joint Commission

Avow’s hospice program has been continuously accredited by The Joint Commission since 2001. We are the only hospice in Southwest Florida to have earned this special level of accreditation. Patient safety and quality of care are the focus of Joint Commission standards and initiatives. This certification is recognized nationally as a symbol of quality. Furthermore, it reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

Services for Veteran Patients

Avow is a proud “5-Star” We Honor Veterans partner, recognizing, honoring and supporting veterans in our care and in the community. Services include:

Matching veteran hospice patients with Avow staff and volunteers who also served in the military
Holding salute ceremony visits to veteran hospice patients to present a pin, certificate, and service appreciation blanket
Providing audio/video recordings of history interviews, in partnership with the Veterans History Project
Assisting veteran patients and their families in finding veteran resources in the community
Offering a 10% discount to veterans at Avow Treasures Resale Shops

Accreditations and Memberships

Avow holds active memberships and accreditations that support our commitment to providing exceptional patient, family, and community care.

Blue Zones Project Approved™ Worksite

National Institute for Jewish Hospice

Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association

National Partnership for Hospice Innovatio

National Hospice and Palliative Care Association

Coalition to Transform Advance Care

Aliviado Dementia Care

Support for Caregivers

Caring for someone with a serious illness can be very rewarding, but it can also be difficult and overwhelming. Avow is here to ease your mind and help you cope. We offer a variety of services including support groups, volunteer support, and help finding resources in the community.

Avow’s caregiver support groups are open to everyone in the community. Attendees include:

Parents
Spouses
Children
Friends

Those in their care include people suffering from:

Cancer
Dementia
Heart disease
Parkinson’s disease
Stroke
Frailty
Or any other condition

Attendees can participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. Group leaders also help caregivers find resources in the community for whatever types of assistance their loved ones may need.

Education for Our Patient Family Members

If you are caring for someone who is terminally ill, we:

Explain what to expect as the patient transitions through this phase of their life so you know what to expect
Listen to your concerns and answer your questions
Teach you how to dispense medications, change dressings, bathe, position and groom the patient and provide other types of physical care
Talk with you about family dynamics and how the stress of serious illness can bring out the best and worst in family members

Help you fill out Medicare/insurance paperwork
Arrange for a volunteer to sit with your loved one while you run errands, attend appointments or when you just need a little break
Tell you about other community resources you or the family may need
Provide grief support

The Avow Hospice Compliance Program

Compliance reports can be made by calling the Chief Compliance Officer at Avow, by calling EthicsPoint toll-free at (855) 348-4998 or by visiting avow.ethicspoint.com

EthicsPoint is a third-party hotline provider designed to assist with reporting. You may report anonymously if you wish. Information you provide anonymously to EthicsPoint will be sent to Avow in a format that protects your confidentiality.

We take seriously all reports of compliance and ethical matters and will review each report. Avow shall not take any retaliatory action against anyone who reports a quality or compliance concern.

Avow is committed to maintaining an environment where open, honest communications are the expectation, not the exception.

Avow® Hospice, Inc., a not-for-profit hospice, serving Collier County, Florida since 1983. (Florida Hospice License #5022096.) Avow Hospice, Inc. was formerly known as Hospice of Naples, Hospice of Marco Island and Hospice of Immokalee.

Avow Hospice, Inc. does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. Click for more information
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Avow Hospice, Inc. provides notice to its publics that when an individual has any concerns about patient care and safety in the organization, that the organization has not addressed, he or she is encouraged to contact the organization’s management.
If the concerns cannot be resolved through the organization, the individual is encouraged to contact the Joint Commission at (630) 792-5000 or the Joint Commission web site at the Joint Commission web site.