MAY 2018
We are honored and humbled to announce the Hospice of the Valleys has been awarded the HealthcareFirst Hospice Honors elite award!Over 1900 hospices use HealthcareFirst to survey hospice families regarding quality of care experience on 24 CMS quality of care questions. To receive an Elite status, a hospice must score above national average on all 24 quality of care questions; thus showing the highest level of quality based upon the patient and caregiver hospice experience.
We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our staff and volunteers provide. Thank you to our generous and kind community for your support so that we can continue to provide loving, compassionate care - the type of care we would want our own families to receive.
Dear Friends:
Each month our hospice team takes the time to remember all our hospice patients who have died that month. We remember their names and honor their lives. We remember the gift of caring for them, and the blessing of how they cared for us. This poem we read in May describes that hospice "circle of life."
Last month I wrote about the silent epidemic of caregiver burnout which affects up to 40-70% of the 65 million Americans who serve as unpaid caregivers to their frail elderly or otherwise disabled family members. Nurses really understand the many stresses and challenges facing family caregivers as they know from firsthand experience just how difficult it is to provide the care needed by patients. Nurses are consistently ranked among the most trusted professionals and for over 35 years the nurses of Hospice of the Valleys have been providing compassionate end of life care to the patients and families of our community. I feel deeply honored to work with such dedicated professionals and hope you will join me in recognizing these "Angels Among us" during National Nurses Week May 6th - 12th.
In order to better understand caregiver burnout it is helpful to recognize some of the warning signs. Below is a list of some of the common warning signs of caregiver burnout:
Caregiver burnout is a very real and growing problem in our society and the burden of providing personal care is not covered by most insurance plans. Although there are not any easy answers to address this growing problem, I would encourage you to reach out and take advantage of some of the various resources available within our community designed to provide education and support for caregivers. Below are few of the caregiver resources available in our community:
The Riverside County Office on Aging (800) 510-2020 - The Office on Aging is an incredible resource and can provide information on caregiver education and support resources.
Veteran's Service Center (951) 766-2566 - Hospice of the Valleys is proud to participate in the We Honor Veterans Program. Veterans may be eligible for additional caregiver resources including limited funds to assist with caregiver support.
Riverside County In-Home Supportive Services (888) 960-4477 - Patients with Medi-cal insurance may be eligible to receive assistance with hiring in home caregivers or placement in a Skilled Nursing Home.
For additional caregiver resources check out our resource library under the "Patients and Families" tab or give us a call at 951-200-7800. Hospice of the Valleys has been helping families manage the many stresses of end of life care for over 35 years and we are here to serve you.
