Hospice care can be initiated by family, friends, neighbors, a caregiver or a member of the clergy. In other words, anyone can inquire and start the referral process. Initiation begins when the request is made to Hospice of the Ozarks or your physician. If you make the referral, we will call the potential patient's physician (with patient's permission) to discuss hospice care qualifications. If the physician makes the referral, Hospice of the Ozarks will contact the family and make a visit as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours.

Anytime someone would like information about hospice and end-of-life care, they can call Hospice of the Ozarks at (870) 508-1771. It is best for family members to share their wishes long before it becomes a concern. Hospice works best when there are months rather than days to establish relationships and support.

Comfort care is choosing quality of life as the priority. It is letting go of curative treatments that are not helping. Comfort care is about relieving pain and uncomfortable symptoms. Comfort care is also about providing needed support so a person can do the things they want to do in the time remaining. This includes physical, emotional, spiritual & psycho-social care.

A hospice R.N. is available "on-call" after the administrative office has closed, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The nurse is available to respond to a call for help within minutes, if necessary.

Hospice services can be provided to a terminally ill person wherever they live. This means a patient living in a nursing facility or long-term care facility can receive specialized visits from Hospice nurses, aides, chaplains, social workers, and volunteers, in addition to other care and services provided by the nursing facility. Hospice of the Ozarks and the nursing facility will have a written agreement in place in order for Hospice of the Ozarks to serve residents of the facility.

Hospice of the Ozarks has their own hospice facility - Hospice House, a 12-bed inpatient and residential center, and is available to provide acute or residential in-house care for patients who cannot stay where they usually live. There is a daily rate charge for room & board if the patient elects to stay at the Hospice House as a residential patient.

Hospice coverage is available. It is also provided by Medicare, Medicaid, and Champus (VA Benefit).

Yes, Hospice of the Ozarks is a not-for-profit organization which provides hospice care without regard to coverage or ability to pay.

Hospice of the Ozarks volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones including running errands, preparing light meals, staying with a patient to give family members a break, and lending emotional support and companionship to patients and family members. An organized training program is required for patient care volunteers.

Hospice of the Ozarks does nothing to either speed up or slow down the dying process. Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise during the time of childbirth, so Hospice provides it's presence and specialized knowledge during the dying process.