Rice Hospice Care Team

The Rice Hospice Care Team works with each patient and family to develop a plan of care which is specific to their unique needs. The focus of this plan of care is to help the patient live each day with comfort and dignity, while retaining individuality and control. Through skilled nursing care, counseling, support and education, hospice helps patients and families live each day with meaning and purpose.

On-call services are provided by the hospice nurses 24 hours each day, seven days each week. There is at least one registered nurse and one social worker at each of the eight Rice Hospice offices. The care team works in partnership with long-term care facilities to provide end-of-life care to residents and their families.

While every hospice patient is different, some or all of the following team members may provide care and assistance to the family.

Physician

The patient's attending physician remains the primary resource directing the care provided for the patient, while the Rice Hospice Associate Medical Director serves as a consultant to the attending physician and hospice team.

Registered Nurse

Rice Hospice nurses provide individualized care which focuses on providing comfort, managing pain and other sympoms, coordinating all hospice services, and educating patient and family to ensure quality and continuity of care.

Social Worker

Rice Hospice social workers assist the patient and family members with the emotional aspects of a life-limiting illness. They also coordinate community services and resources, and help with insurance, legal, and financial concerns.

Hospice Aide

Rice Hospice aides help patients with personal cares, such as bathing and grooming.

Volunteer

Rice Hospice volunteers receive comprehensive training to provide a variety of services focused on companionship and support for the patient and respite care for the caregiver. > more

Chaplain

The Rice Hospice chaplain provides spiritual support and ensures that spiritual concerns and needs are being met.

Music Coordinator

The Rice Hospice music coordinator can provide musical enjoyment through a variety of listening and hands-on means. > more

Bereavement Support

Rice Hospice provides bereavement services for 13 months following the death of the patient to help the family with grief and loss issues. A bereavement counselor provides one-on-one support upon request.

Trained bereavement volunteers make phone calls, send handwritten letters, and visit one-on-one with bereaved family members.

Rice Hospice sponsors annual memorial services which are comforting to bereaved families, as are regularly scheduled bereavement support groups led by Rice Hospice social workers.

Also, a special one-day program, called Camp G.K. Bear, is offered every six to twelve months for children in grades K - 6 who have lost a significant person in their lives.