ASKING FOR HELP TAKES

Courage

Cedar Valley Hospice Care

When it comes to care for our family and friends, we want the best. Starting a conversation about healthcare options when someone you love has a serious illness is difficult. However, you don’t have to take the journey alone. At Cedar Valley Hospice, our team of experts are available to help you and your family navigate the healthcare system and provide education on treatment options. Our focus is to help you Make Each Moment Matter!

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice is a special kind of care provided by a team of professionals focusing on the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of patients with advanced illnesses and their families. Hospice care treats the person rather than the disease, striving to maintain the best quality of life and Making Each Moment Matter.

At Cedar Valley Hospice, care decisions are made by the patient and family in coordination with a caring team of professionals. Hospice care at Cedar Valley Hospice offers:

  • Care provided in a patient’s home, nursing home, hospital or at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home.
  • Help is available 24 hours a days, seven days a week.
  • Hospice care to anyone who qualifies, regardless of age, illness or ability to pay.
  • Grief support to family members and loved ones during and after hospice care.

Having a serious illness is difficult. The professionals at Cedar Valley Hospice can help support you and your loved one through this difficult time so you don’t have to walk the journey alone. For more information, please contact Cedar Valley Hospice today.

nurse kneeling next to man in wheelchair
nurse and woman at table smiling and talking

Discussing
Hospice Care

At Cedar Valley Hospice, we understand that talking about hospice can be difficult. Ideally, the conversation regarding future healthcare wishes would begin early when everyone is healthy.

 

If a life-limiting diagnosis has been received, Cedar Valley Hospice is always available to provide a consultation. If medical options may soon be exhausted and/or, if there is a desire to stop curative treatments, hospice should most definitely be considered. Hospice care can also be discussed for an expected future need as well.

Starting the
Hospice Conversation

  • Plan a time to have the conversation that is without distractions, quiet and comfortable.
  • Ask questions, such as, “How are you feeling about where you’re at with your illness?” or “It can be difficult for family to care for you alone at home, have you thought about what kind of help you might need?”
  • Reflect on recent circumstances. “That last hospital stay seemed hard on you, and I think there is a way to avoid it in the future.”
  • Introduce hospice. “A wonderful program that gives you the help you need to stay at home is called hospice. Have you heard of hospice?” or “Hospice is able to provide you with more services and support at home than most other programs and is a Medicare/Medicaid/VA benefit as well as covered by most private insurance providers.”
  • Schedule an educational meeting with the experts at Cedar Valley Hospice to see how they could help or what resources they would recommend.
If you’re having trouble starting a conversation about hospice care, Cedar Valley Hospice can help. Contact Cedar Valley Hospice today for information or guidance discussing hospice care with a loved one at 800.626.2360.

We Honor Veterans

Each year, veterans and their families find themselves in need of Cedar Valley Hospice services as they face a serious illness and the need for additional support. As a proud partner of the national “We Honor Veterans” program, Cedar Valley Hospice considers it our privilege to serve them. If a life-limiting diagnosis has been received, Cedar Valley Hospice is always available to provide a consultation. If medical options may soon be exhausted and/or, if there is a desire to stop curative treatments, hospice should most definitely be considered. Hospice care can also be discussed for an expected future need as well.

Every patient’s needs and stories are different, which is especially true for veteran patients. We go the extra mile to ensure they feel comforted and honored by providing:

  • In-home medical care with pain and symptom management

  • Trained veteran-to-veteran volunteers for support and camaraderie

  • Special acknowledgement via the “We Honor Veterans” program, which includes the presentation of a special pin, certificate and a one-of-a kind patriotic quilt made especially for them by our volunteers

  • Connection with the Veteran’s Administration for assistance with benefits or services, if eligible

Two elderly veteran friends taking a photo outside

Complementary Therapies

Cedar Valley Hospice will work with each patient individually to determine which therapies would benefit patient needs and help make each day the best it can be for the patient and their family.
Music Therapy

 

Music therapy can be provided as part of the plan of care to reduce pain and anxiety, improve communication, and allow the patient and family to renew past memories. By listening to their choice of music, playing an instrument, or by simply talking about their life’s music experience and meaning, music therapy offers an opportunity to bring up and seek closure on important end-of-life issues.

Massage Therapy

 

Hand and foot massages can also be provided, if part of the plan of care, by hospice aides. Licensed, therapeutic massage therapists are available, as needed, to alleviate symptoms of pain and anxiety and to promote comfort for individuals.

Admission, Referral & Payment for

Hospice Care

Anyone can make a referral or call to inquire about services at Cedar Valley Hospice. We provide in-home care for all who meet our admission criteria regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, diagnosis or ability to pay.

 
Cedar Valley Hospice Admission Criteria

Cedar Valley Hospice accepts patients who meet the following criteria:

  • Those with an estimated life expectancy of six months or less
  • Anyone in the later phases of an illness, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, AIDS, ALS, neurological and renal diseases, COPD or any other end-stage disease
  • The patient and their doctor have agreed on a path toward comfort care, rather than curative care.
woman hugging a man in a wheelchair
Making a Referral to Cedar Valley Hospice
Referrals to Cedar Valley Hospice can be made by anyone – family members, friends, clergy, doctors, nurses, or other healthcare professionals – by contacting the nearest Cedar Valley Hospice office or by calling 800.626.2360. The patient and family then will be contacted to set up an admissions meeting.
Hospice Care Payment

Hospice care is available to everyone in our 15-county service area in Northeast Iowa, regardless of their ability to pay. While Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans cover hospice care, there may be some that do not. Donations from the community help ensure that those who cannot pay or whose care is not covered by insurance can still receive the same hospice services.

Have a Referral?

Anyone can refer a friend or family member to Cedar Valley Hospice. Simply complete and submit the form below to get started. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 800.626.2360.

Your support allows us to provide expert care for all

Enriching lives in the Cedar Valley is at the forefront of our mission. We are experts in providing hospice and palliative care, grief support and providing additional services for those with life changing diagnoses. As a not-for-profit organization, your gifts make our mission possible!

Become a volunteer!

Our volunteers are the heart of our organization. From visiting patients to helping with events, they perform a number of different roles that are vital to helping us carry out our mission.

Healthcare Partner Resources

We offer multiple resources for physicians and healthcare clinicians dealing with serious diagnosis and end-of-life related topics as well as an easy online patient referral form. Connect with us today!