Hospice Puts the Patient and Family in Control
You Make the Decisions
“What we say at VITAS is that the patient and family are always at the center of our care,” says Susan Acocella, a general manager at VITAS.
This means the patient and family make the decisions. They are in the driver’s seat, and VITAS is there to help them through the process.
Our Team Helps
The VITAS hospice team consists of several professionals, all working for the patient and the family:
- Nurse to assess and manage pain, providing hands-on care
- Social worker to offer emotional and community support, and help with financial issues and planning
- Physician to collaborate with the patient’s primary physician, consult on pain and symptom management, and make house calls
- Hospice aide to help with personal care, such as bathing and mouth care, and light housekeeping
- Chaplain to offer spiritual support
- Volunteer to help in a variety of ways
- Bereavement specialist to provide grief and loss counseling
Our team members generally visit one at a time, and always on the schedule chosen by the patient and/or family. They are there to help.
“We focus on the whole patient, the whole concept, from spirituality to understanding what’s going on—and listening,” says Acocella.
Because at VITAS, the patient and family are in control.