Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice care is about celebrating life in every moment and creating an environment of comfort and dignity as life nears its end. Blize’s hospice services focus on quality of life for the patient, while providing emotional support for the patient’s family.

Through an extensive array of services, Blize Hospice’s focus is to maximize the patient’s quality of life through managing pain and controlling adverse symptoms. This can be accomplished through medication, companionship, or even a gentle massage. Our primary goal is to make the end-of-life transition a time of comfort. We also support a patient’s emotional and spiritual needs, so they are prepared to release their attachment to their physical body. And, we provide support to the family as they deal with their feelings of loss and grief.

Your rights

Hospice patients’ rights protect your privacy and dignity and ensure that you and your family are treated with kindness and respect. These rights include the right to:

• Receive effective pain management and symptom control
• Participate in the planning and development of your plan of care
• Be kept fully informed of your condition and treatment
• Refuse specific types of care and treatment
• Select your attending physician

Healthcare decisions and advance directives

If, for any reason, you are unable to make decisions on your own, your legal representative will ensure your wishes and rights are honored. To help ensure your health care goals and wishes are met, a little preparation is required.

Appoint a Health Care Proxy
A health care proxy is someone who is charged with making medical decisions on your behalf should you no longer be able to do so. You may want to consult with an elder care attorney to best understand your options and complete the formal documents required that will make it all legal.

Advance Directives
An advance directive, or “living will,” is a legal document that spells out what treatments you what – and which you don’t want – as you near the end of life. This may include a Physician Order on Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.

Paying for hospice care

The Medicare Hospice Benefits covers nearly all costs of hospice care for eligible patients as long as the care you receive is from a Medicare-approved hospice provider. Learn more about our comprehensive Hospice Care Program.