Hospice and Palliative Care

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health understands the distress a family endures when a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Our palliative care team is available from the day of diagnosis to offer medical and emotional support. If a patient chooses to stop treatment and focus on quality of life, our hospice team is available to continue the support to help your loved one live as fully and comfortably as possible.

What is hospice care?

Hospice is a compassionate, specialized healthcare service designed to provide comfort and support to patients with a life-limiting illness. Hospice provides support to the patient and family by caring for their physical, psychological and spiritual needs.

The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health hospice team helps control pain and other symptoms while supporting quality of life. Hospice services include nursing and medical care, physical therapy, in-home medical equipment, bereavement counseling, massage, aromatherapy and music therapy. While on hospice, a patient may also qualify for traditional medical services to treat chronic conditions unrelated to the hospice diagnosis. And, if a hospice patient’s condition improves and they no longer qualify for current hospice services, their complete Medicare hospice benefit is still available when they need it again.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care provides relief from symptoms and stress when a person is diagnosed with a serious or life-threatening illness, and can be used during treatment programs. The care is similar to that of hospice programs, with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health offering an experienced team of nursing and medical care, physical therapy and emotional support.

When is the right time for hospice care?

The decision to start hospice care for a loved one is usually made when treatment is no longer helping and your loved one has a life expectancy of six months or less. If you are working with the palliative care team, we can help you decide on timing and can help refer you to hospice.

Do you feel that it may be time to consider hospice care for your loved one? There are certain signs and symptoms that may help you decide. Ask yourself these questions below to see if your loved one is showing signs.

Considering hospice care?

Questions to ask

Why choose Virginia Mason Franciscan Health?

The experienced team at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health will surround you and your family with a high level of customized medical care and emotional support. We offer:

• Individual care plans
• A collaborative approach, working together with your primary care provider (PCP)
• Compassionate, expert care
• A dedicated team including a hospice physician, registered nurse, social worker and chaplain — with support from additional nursing staff, pharmacists, physical therapists, massage therapists, volunteers and others as desired by the patient (such as music therapists)

Contact us about hospice and palliative care

Find out more about how our team can help you and your family. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can help you make an informed decision.

• Call 1-800-338-8305 for general information about our services
• To connect directly with Hospice and Palliative Care services, call 1-866-969-7028