Hospice

Hospice is a service offered to patients and their families when illness is no longer considered curable, and when life expectancy is measured in months instead of years.

At RMH Hospice, we believe that all patients, their loved ones and families, are unique and deserve care that is personal to their needs. People facing a terminal illness have the right to peace, dignity and comfort. Their care should involve the entire family. Based on this philosophy, RMH Hospice provides a variety of services to patients and families in their own homes, with the goal of helping families avoid the emotional, spiritual, social and financial stresses caused by frequent hospital stays.

RMH Hospice is staffed by a team of trained healthcare professionals and volunteers whose goal is to effectively manage a patient’s pain, thus improving his or her quality of life. We are a state licensed agency with accreditation by JCAHO and Medicare. We have been serving the Shenandoah Valley for over 25 years. The RMH Hospice team includes nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, therapists and volunteers. Nurses are available to patients and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. RMH Hospice not only provides medical care, but also trains family members to help with their loved ones’ care and to coordinate needed medical equipment, supplies, community services and hospital care.

If you have a family member or loved one confronting the challenge of a terminal illness, rest assured that you don’t have to face it alone. At RMH Hospice, we’re here for you.

Services Provided

• Physician – provides medical direction of the patient’s care.
• Registered nurses – make regularly scheduled home visits to assess the patient’s condition, provide pain and symptom management, answer questions, and teach patient’s and families how to manage and provide care.
• Hospice helpline provides a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week phone access to a registered nurse. Besides regularly scheduled home visits, by calling the helpline you can speak by phone to a nurse who is able to answer questions and assess unexpected situations.
• Medications related to the hospice diagnosis and used for pain and symptom management are provided
• Medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers , hospital bed are provided as needed.
• Home Care Aides provide personal care and light housekeeping for the patient.
• Medical social workers assess the psychosocial needs of the patient/family. They provide education and support regarding interpersonal relationships, and are experts in community resources. This allows them to facilitate family communication and recommend resources for financial, legal and caregiving issues.
• Chaplain provides spiritual support to patients and families of all faiths.
• Support therapies – Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy and dietary counseling provide expert services as needed.
• Pharmacist provide expertise in pain and symptom management.
• Volunteers are a specially trained group of people who are available to provide supportive services to patients, families and hospice staff.
• Bereavement services provide grief follow up according to the needs of the families. This includes phone contacts, supportive literature, mailings and an invitation to the annual memorial service. Grief support groups and individual counseling are available through RMH Grief Support Services. More information about available support groups>
• Complimentary tools are used in concert with conventional medicine to assist in managing symptoms and enhance the sense of well being and quality of life.
  • Music – listening to music can bring about changes in emotions, physiology and behavior.
  • Massage in its simplest form has the potential of easing physical symptoms and renewing emotional and spiritual well being.
  • Story telling is the healing process of remembering ourselves, speaking our truth and finding ultimate meaning in telling our story.