Hospice

About
As one of the longest-serving hospice programs in South Carolina, Spartanburg Regional Hospice has the experience and resources to provide expert care and support to patients who desire to live the remainder of their lives to the fullest with dignity and comfort. As a community-based and not-for-profit hospice, our program is not only part of an award-winning healthcare system, but we also provide hospice care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
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Why Choose Hospice Care
When a cure is no longer a reasonable goal, hospice provides a team approach for expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to your wishes. Hospice extends support to family members and caregivers who are coping with the complex consequences of illness, disability and death.
Hospice care provides you the opportunity to live with decreased pain and symptoms caused by illness while achieving the maximum quality of life possible in whatever way you define it.
Spartanburg Regional Hospice
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Spartanburg Regional Hospice has been serving patients and families since 1980. We are one of the longest-serving programs in South Carolina, offering specialized physical, emotional, and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones. The goals of hospice care are to enhance quality of life – caring for the “whole person,” not just the illness.
We provide excellent quality care throughout Spartanburg, Greenville, Cherokee and Union counties in the patient or primary caregiver’s home, our Hospice Home, an assisted-living facility, a nursing home or wherever else a person calls “home.”
We strive to fulfill the promise of Dame Cicely Saunders, a nurse and social worker, credited for her work in end of life care. Saunders, founder of modern hospice philosophy, once said, “You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but to live until you die.”
It is important to remember that hospice is not a place; it is a philosophy of care. Central to that philosophy is that hospice provides comfort and support for choices at the end of life.
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As part of an integrated healthcare system, Spartanburg Regional Hospice is able to offer the most comprehensive quality care available. Our team includes:
- A full-time medical director and hospice-trained physicians
- Registered nurses
- Certified wound-care nurses
- Patient-care technicians
- Hospice-trained chaplains
- Licensed medical social workers
- Trained volunteers
- Massage therapists
- Many other support services associates
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Not all hospice programs are the same. Reasons you may want to consider Spartanburg Regional Hospice include:
- Experience: Spartanburg Regional Hospice was the first hospice to be established in the Upstate more than 40 years ago. Care is provided by a tenured team with years of experience.
- Quality: Spartanburg Regional Hospice is the only hospice in the area that is affiliated with a healthcare system.
- Full-service: We offer a full-service, 15-bed inpatient facility called the Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home for times when the patient’s medical condition warrants a short-term inpatient stay for pain control or symptom management that cannot feasibly be provided in other settings.
- Nonprofit: We are a nonprofit hospice program and provide services to all eligible persons regardless of ability to pay.
- A team approach: Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, our hospice team works closely with patients, their families and their personal physicians to develop and coordinate an individualized plan of care for each patient. Each member of the team is specially trained in end-of-life care.
- Patient and Family Satisfaction: Spartanburg Regional Hospice is consistently recognized as a best superior performer by Strategic Healthcare Programs.
- CMS Hospice Compare
- Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship: Spartanburg Regional offers a fellowship program for a physician who is interested in learning more about hospice and palliative care.
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We offer many services to support end-of-life care, including:
- Routine care
- Short-term respite care at the hospice home
- Continuous care at your home or at the hospice home
- General inpatient care at the hospice home
We also offer:
- Bereavement support for patients and families, including:
- Grief support groups
- Individual counseling
- Services of remembrance
- Bereavement programming for children and adolescents coping with the death of a loved one
- Community-based care
- Healing Arts Program through the Spartanburg Regional Foundation
- Home visits by hospice physicians
- Massage therapy
- Patient support from special funds from the Spartanburg Regional Foundation
- Pet therapy
- Rehabilitation services
- Respite care for caregivers who need relief or are required to be out of town for a few days
- Same-day admission services, including weekends and holidays
- Specialized end-of-life care for veterans
- Specialized wound care
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Services Offered
Donate to Hospice
Spartanburg Regional Hospice is supported by generous donations from our community through the Spartanburg Regional Foundation. Your gift helps us honor the lives of our patients and support their families. To make a gift to hospice, contact Spartanburg Regional Foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Hospice care provides physical, emotional and spiritual support for patients at end-of-life and their families. We offer nursing and physician visits, pain and symptom management, bereavement services, support groups, individual counseling, assistance with putting affairs in order, help with errands and housekeeping, and much more.
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If you or a loved one has a life-limiting illness, now is the time to start a discussion about hospice. We know this conversation is difficult, but the sooner you are referred to hospice, the sooner we can offer supportive services to improve your quality of life so you can make the most of your time.
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We provide hospice care to patients where they live (at home, in a nursing home or in a long-term care facility) or at our hospice home.
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After we receive a referral, someone on our team will follow up to schedule a consultation. After that, care usually begins within one to two days, or sooner for more urgent situations.
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Your care will be handled by a multidisciplinary team. Together with you and your family, the team will form a plan of care. Your team includes:
- Attending physician: You may choose your current family physician to direct your care or you may choose one of our hospice physicians. This physician will write orders for medications, assess medical needs and oversee your medical care. Your admissions nurse can answer any questions you may have regarding your attending physician.
- Registered nurse/case manager: A registered nurse (RN)/case manager will assess your physical status and will manage your symptoms, communicating regularly with you, your family, your attending physician and the rest of the hospice team.
- Personal care technician/hospice aide: A hospice aide will assist with your personal care needs.
- Medical social worker: A social worker assists with forming advanced directives or a healthcare power of attorney. Social workers are an important resource for you and your family in seeking community resources, including finding financial assistance or nursing home placement. Your social worker provides emotional support and grief counseling as well.
- Chaplain/spiritual counselor: The chaplain makes regular visits and is available for on-call visits during a crisis. The chaplain can conduct funerals or memorial services, or help you contact your own clergy. Chaplain services will always respect your own personal faith and beliefs.
- Volunteer services: Volunteers are available for companionship and for sitter services while your caregiver takes a break. A volunteer also may be able to help run some errands, prepare a light meal or handle other essential tasks. The volunteer coordinator can help set up these services. Call 864-560-5636 for more information.
- Dietary counseling: Dietary counseling may be provided by a dietitian or nurse. Speak to your nurse to request these services.
- Continuous home care: Nurses and other members of your healthcare team will provide care in your home short-term during a crisis. Your family can request this help through your case manager.
- Durable medical equipment (DME) and supplies: Your nurse/case manager can arrange for necessary equipment and supplies through our contracts with certain vendors.
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If your loved one under hospice care experiences any of the following at any time, call Spartanburg Regional Hospice first at 864-560-3900:
- Pain that is not responsive to medication
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain
- New onset of agitation or restlessness
- Falls where a possible injury has occurred
- Emergency department visit
- Uncontrolled nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bleeding
- Unconsciousness
Call about the following during the office hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday:
- Lab or bloodwork results
- Medication refills
- Questions about visitation
- Supply needs, such as diapers or bed pads
- Temporary care outside the home
- Transportation to a doctor visit
It is important to call hospice first. Not calling hospice first could result in a non-hospice-covered expense. The backup phone number for hospice is for Spartanburg Medical Center.
- Phone numbers: 864-560-5620 or 800-298-6148
- Backup number: 864-560-6000
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No. What sets Spartanburg Regional Hospice apart from other agencies is the fact that we are a not-for-profit program, we offer a special hospice hospital called the Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home. We also provide access to the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System network, we provide family-centered care, and we have a dedicated, multidisciplinary team ready to assist you and your family 24/7.
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Yes, one of the benefits of receiving care from Spartanburg Regional Hospice is having access to the network of services provided by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. As part of this, your records will be stored in our Epic electronic medical records system, allowing our medical staff and your other physicians to easily access your medical records.
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We provide hospice services regardless of your ability to pay. We accept Medicare, Medicaid, workers’ compensation and private insurance. We also offer financial assistance through the Spartanburg Regional Foundation Special Needs Fund. Learn more about paying for hospice.
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Yes, you can elect at any time to discontinue hospice care.
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Not at all. We find that patients who go into hospice experience a greater quality of life and in some cases, a longer life than those who do not receive hospice care at the end of life. When you choose hospice care, you have access to an entire team who are dedicated to supporting your health and life goals, and can maximize your quality of life and time with loved ones.
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You can self-refer to our hospice program. Additionally, anyone – including physicians and other health professionals, family members, friends, co-workers or spiritual advisors – can refer patients to Spartanburg Regional Hospice.
To refer yourself or a loved one, call 864-560-CARE.
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Hospice care is designed specifically for people at the end of life. Palliative care is symptom management and can be offered as part of hospice care or as part of curative treatment for someone not in hospice.
Palliative care includes pain and symptom management, as well as support for caregivers. Palliative care can help a patient at any stage of a serious illness, even as early as the time of diagnosis.
Palliative care may be as simple as a consultation at the time of diagnosis and as comprehensive as traditional hospice care during the final phases of a serious illness. Hospice is the most comprehensive and well-known form of palliative care.
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No. Each patient and his or her prognosis is unique. Spartanburg Regional Hospice physicians and staff work to ensure the right care at the right time is provided. If a patient has a change in prognosis at any time, the hospice team will communicate the information and assist in discharge planning when appropriate.
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The hospice physician (and/or your primary care provider) along with the hospice team will work with you to develop a plan of care. Medication management will be included in the plan to ensure patients receive the appropriate care.
Some medications that are for curative purposes may be discontinued as the patient elects the hospice benefit.
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You will be asked about your pain and other symptoms by the care team during their visits. Be honest with them – working together will ensure the best management of your care.
Things to remember:
- It may not be possible to be pain-free.
- It will be our goal to get your pain to an acceptable level.
- The best way to control pain is to prevent it – you will be encouraged to take your prescribed pain medication regularly, rather than waiting until it is really bad.
- It is normal to experience mild drowsiness following the first 1-3 days after a narcotic pain medication is prescribed and whenever a dose is increased.
- Fighting pain is exhausting, you will feel better and sleep better when it is controlled.
- Morphine is no longer a “last resort” medication; it is easy to use, easy to change and usually found to be the best relief.
- Many times, your physician will prescribe a scheduled pain medication and also a “break-through” pain medication. This is a means of maintaining a constant dose.
- If you become unable to swallow, your nurse will contact your physician for another administration route such as rectal, under the tongue, skin patches, and intravenous.
- To prevent common side effects, your nurse and physician will suggest other medications such as laxatives, anti-nausea medications and antihistamines.