Kno-Wal-Lin's Hospice and Palliative Care
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Palliative Care Hospice Bereavement FAQs
Hospice Volunteers
Kno-Wal-Lin's Hospice and Palliative Care programs offers patients and their loved ones assistance with the medical, emotional, social and spiritual concerns for those who have a life limiting illness.
Access to coordinated, high quality, hospice and palliative care can help patients and families regain a sense of personal autonomy and control over their care, treatment choices, and ultimately their last days and hours of life.
Kno-Wal-Lin’s Hospice and Palliative Care programs are there to support the needs of patients and their families during preparation for life’s final journey and transition. Our hospice and palliative care programs serve approximately 200 patients and families each year.
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Palliative Care Program
Palliative care is a holistic system of care for patients when cure is no longer possible. The aim of palliative care is to control the disease and hopefully prolong life by means of medications, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Palliative care also focuses on control of pain and symptoms, quality of life and attention to the psychosocial and spiritual experiences of adapting to an advanced and life threatening illness.
Kno-Wal-Lin's Palliative Care Program provides comprehensive case management service to meet the special needs of a patient with an advanced life threatening illness. Our Palliative Care Professional staff consists of nurses, social workers, home health aides, rehab therapists and Visiting Volunteers. Our skilled and compassionate staff assist patients and families in addressing delicate issue such as treatment plans and goals, advanced directives, end-of-life care issues, and transitioning to the Hospice Program if and when appropriate. Our staff respects the goals and choices of the patient and family regarding health care needs, offers teaching and support throughout the course of the illness, and advocates on the patient's behalf.
Palliative Care services are covered under a patient's home care insurance benefit. Hospice Program
Hospice care is a compassionate system of care for patients when controlling the disease and prolonging life is no longer possible. The aim in hospice care is to provide pain and symptom management, enhance quality of remaining life, address life-closure issues, support patients and families regarding the psychosocial and spiritual challenges of approaching death, and provide bereavement support.
KWL has a Medicare certified and state licensed hospice program which offers patients and their families, loved ones and caregivers assistance in end of life.
Kno-Wal-Lin Hospice Program helps patients and families experience comfort, peace, and enhanced quality of life during life's final transition. Our most important goals are to help patients remain at home, surrounded by the people and things that they love, and to live each day as fully as possible. We respect a patient's choices and wishes in regards to end of life care decisions.
Our team of doctors, nurses, social workers, therapists, chaplains, hospice volunteers and aides work together to address medical, social, emotional, and spiritual concerns as determined by the patient. We also provide Complementary Care Modalities such as Massage Therapy, Reflexology, Music Therapy and Reiki to assist patients or family members with stress reduction, relaxation, and alleviation of discomfort.
Our goals are for the patient and family to receive the support they need so that they can concentrate on living life as fully as possible. Although the majority of hospice services are provided in a patient's private home, hospice care is also available wherever a patient may reside, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or boarding homes.
Bereavement services are available to family members for up to thirteen months after their loved one’s death and consist of regular educational mailings, telephone support and bereavement support groups.
The mission of Kno-Wal-Lin Bereavement Services is to facilitate a safe and healing grief process for persons of all ages who are adjusting to a loss due to death.
Grief is a healthy, human response to loss. Often the greatest loss we experience is when a loved one dies. Grieving people may experience a wide and often intense range of feelings. Eventually, with the passage of time and through the support of others, these intense feelings will fade. Some will need additional support during this process. Our staff is available to help.
Professional bereavement care is available to ALL members of the community. Our staff consists of trained and licensed hospice grief counselors. Volunteers who have been specifically trained in facilitating bereavement support groups complement the expertise of our professional staff.
Kno-Wal-Lin Bereavement Services provide a wide range of services for all ages: short-term individual grief counseling, support groups and an annual Service of Remembrance.
For more information about Children’s Bereavement Services,
click here (new window).
Also, please see bereavedparents.org
Hospice Volunteers are an integral part of many of our hospice teams. Volunteers work with families in a variety of capacities depending on the needs of a patient or family. A volunteer might bring mostly practical support to a case, in the form of running errands, providing occasional transportation, researching community resources, or giving a caregiver respite for several hours a week. In some cases, the volunteer's role may be best described as that often filled by an attentive friend or neighbor, someone who brings emotional support to patient or caregivers. Kno-Wal-Lin contracts with Coastal Family Hospice Volunteers in Knox and Lincoln counties and with Waldo County Hospice Volunteers (207-930-2677), who are responsible for the training required to be a hospice volunteer.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWho is eligible for the Palliative Care program?
You are eligible for palliative care services if you have an advanced or life limiting illness, need intermittent skilled services, (such as education in health maintenance, monitoring of your health status, education in disease process or illness progression, pain or symptom management, or in need of rehab therapies to improve or maintain strength and endurance and assess safety in your home), and are generally homebound, (outings are infrequent and are taxing or a considerable effort).
Who is eligible for Hospice?
Under private insurance guidelines in the state of Maine you are eligible to receive hospice services if your physician feels that you have a life limiting illness (less than 12 months), and you are choosing comfort care support. Most private insurances do allow you to continue with active treatment of your illness.
Under Medicare and Mainecare guidelines, you are eligible to receive hospice services if your physician feels that you have a life limiting illness (less than 6 months), you are choosing comfort care support, and you are not seeking active or curative treatment.
Does Hospice have a religious focus?
KWL Hospice recognizes that spiritual concerns may arise during end of life care. Our hospice staff respects the choices and wishes of each patient and family, and we will assist with spiritual concerns if so desired. We offer non-denominational Chaplain Services or can help patients and families to connect with their own Clergy and spiritual support as requested.
How do I know if hospice or palliative care is right for me?
Most people have a difficult time facing and talking about end of life care issues. With the proper guidance and support, patients and families realize that they are able to make difficult, well educated decisions. Please call our intake department and ask for one of our Hospice and Palliative Care staff to make a visit to your home to discuss your goals, explain our services, and answer any questions you may have. By contacting us early, we are able to provide our best help for all involved.
Who can make a referral to the Palliative Care or Hospice Program?
A person may call our agency directly to make a referral, or be referred by their physician, family member, hospital, or another health care organization.
Hospice care is covered under Medicare and Mainecare and most private insurances. If you do not have insurance, please call us so that we may help you to arrange payments or apply for Mainecare.
For more information call (207) 594-9561 or toll-free (800) 540-9561.