Hospice Care & COVID-19

Hospice has always been a critical part of healthcare, but never more so than now. Spring Valley Hospice is prepared with the needed equipment, supplies and resources to keep patients and team members safe at home during the current viral crisis. As the coronavirus spreads and the public health crisis grows, Hospice is a solution that helps patients and families from overwhelmed hospitals.

The benefits of hospice and palliative care during the COVID-19 crisis includes a decreased likelihood of hospital admission. If a patient does admit to the hospital for something unrelated to their hospice diagnosis, the length of stay can be greatly decreased because they have a team of professionals ready and able to provide care at home.

According to a physician led study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, 50% of adults over 65 years of age made at least one emergency department visit in the last month of life. Seventy five percent of emergency department visits led to hospital admissions, and more than two-thirds of the study participants admitted to the hospital died there.

In contrast, the 10% of study participants who enrolled in hospice care at least one month before death were much less likely to have made an emergency department visit or died in the hospital. Hospice can take care of common end-of-life symptoms such as pain, nausea, shortness of breath and confusion.

Spring Valley Hospice is keeping patients safe at home when they should not expose themselves to crowded hospitals. Each day, more individual patients and families are calling us directly for support, because they do not want to go to the hospital.

Anyone can make a referral to hospice! Spring Valley Hospice is available to discuss end-of-life questions with patients and their families 24 hours, 7 days a week. Call us toll free at 1-844-558-4100 to speak with a trained nurse about getting help quickly.