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Medical Social Services

Hummingbird Hospice provides counseling and support for our patients and their families. We help through the emotional, financial, and spiritual process.

Medical Social Services

Hummingbird Hospice has a professional care team that provides the Medical, Spiritual, and Bereavement counseling needed for the patient and their family. We assist you with many of the tasks that seem difficult during this time. We help the patient and family in coming to terms with dying. We assist with tasks to make end of life treatment less complicated.

It is certainly a delicate and difficult period for a family to deal with a terminal illness. We assist with organization, coordination, and implementation of necessary paperwork, as well as daily medical coordination, including the Medicare Hospice Benefit and private insurance forms. Our Medical Social Workers provide emotional support to the patient, family, and staff, and provide ongoing education and assistance with available Hummingbird Hospice services. One of our Medical Social Workers will make an initial visit to a new hospice patient within 5 days of admission and will continue to make visits on a monthly basis, or more frequently as needed.

  • Advanced Directives including Living Wills, Power of Attorney (POA), and Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) orders 

    • A Living Will provides written instructions about the type of care they would like to receive in the event they become unconscious or are unable to make decisions.

    • A Medical Power of Attorney provides written instructions assigning someone to be in charge of making important decisions on behalf if they become incapable of making those decisions on their own. This is also known as assigning a healthcare agent.

  • Determining care options, including respite care, handling coordination with the family and care facility

  • Coordinate placement into a personal care home or nursing facility if higher levels of care are needed

  • Serves as intermediary between hospice clinical team and bereavement staff

  • Provide information and support to determine what is right for the patient. Our Medical Social Workers put the family in touch with private duty care, Agency on Aging services, funeral homes and services, VA benefits, and help with determining insurance/financial assistance. 

Our Medical Social Workers Will Discuss and Assist With:

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Discover The Conversation Project, a website with resources dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. All too often, families struggle with guilt or uncertainty after a loved one’s passing. The Conversation Project will help bring about transformational changes, as our culture shifts from the avoidance of difficult conversations, to embracing honest and open talks about the things that are most important to us.

With the help of The Conversation Project, you can share your preferences for how you want to live – to communicate the kind of care you want and don’t want in difficult circumstances. Ensure that your own wishes – or those of your friends, family, or loved ones, are discussed and documented. If you’re ready to get started, download Your Conversation Starter Kit.

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Resources from Our Social Workers

Medical Documentation
Local Assisted Living Facilities
Local Private Care Homes
Local Funeral Homes
Private Caregiver Services
Additional Community Resources

 

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