Hospice of Kitsap County Programs
Hospice of Kitsap County opened this area's only residential in-patient hospice care center on May 1, 2008. The Care Center offers quality end-of-life care to those who can no longer remain in their home. These individuals have intensive needs for emotional and spiritual support, as well as medical and nursing care; HKC's Care Center is specifically designed for this purpose. Round the clock nursing care, private patient rooms and a warm, home-like environment help patients live their last days fully, cherishing each day and saying goodbye to their loved ones with peace and dignity.
Hospice of Kitsap County is this community's expert provider of bereavement support services and provides a comprehensive program that serves individuals from ages 4 to 104. Most of our bereavement program is provided in support group settings. We assist anyone in who is grieving the loss of a loved one, regardless of their affiliation with a hospice patient. We also support the family and friends of terminally ill hospice patients in coming to terms with their grief, and working through this process in their own individual ways.
In 2010 HKC will add a new dimension to its commitment to nurture the body, mind and soul of our patients by incorporating massage therapy in the plan of care. Studies have shown that compassionate touch reduces anxiety, promotes peacefulness and improves pain control. For patients with dementia, those that can no longer communicate or who are unresponsive, touch serves as a reminder that they are not alone. Touch reinforces the wholeness of the individual, regardless of what may be happening to their body and mind.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
In 2008, as a response to the growing need for residential in-patient hospice care facility, HKC opened the county's only Hospice Care Center. The Care Center is designed as an option for those whose illness prevents them from remaining at home and who would have previously had to live out their final days in a hospital or skilled nursing facility. The opening of the care center was not only a historical accomplishment for HKC but also for the thousands of community members and organizations that came together to financially support it.
Although hospice care is a benefit of Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurances the actual cost of care is well above the compensation that these entities provide. Hospice of Kitsap County relies on donations, memorials, and fundraising to offset the uncompensated expenses of hospice care and to provide the many bereavement services that are available to anyone in our community who is grieving the loss of a loved one.