The Hospice Team

Left to right:  Vincent Sanchez, Home Medical Equipment Driver, Dr. Michael Keil, Counselor Cindy Fabico, Chaplain Don Taylor, Volunteer Robert Smith portraying a patient, Nurse Linda Freda, Certified Nursing Assistant Wendy Gilcrease, and Pet Partners Volunteers Inez Parsell and Tipper.

Hospice of the Comforter’s professionals work closely together as a team to assess, plan and care for our patients and their families. We are committed to treating the whole person – mind, body and spirit.

Physicians, nurses, psychosocial counselors, chaplains, certified nursing aids and volunteers work as a team to address pain control, spiritual and quality-of-life issues and emotional support. This team provides support for the patient and his or her caregivers.

Team members have the following roles:

Medical Director: The Medical Director consults with the teams caring for patients, offering medical guidance and oversight to the patient’s plan of care.

Hospice Physician: Our Hospice Physicians consult with patients’ primary physicians to determine each patient’s plan of care. The hospice physician makes house calls and determines which medications and treatments will offer the patient the best quality of life.
Click here to meet our hospice medical directors and physicians.

Nurse Case Manager: The Nurse Case Manager is a Registered Nurse (RN) who manages patients’ pain and provides symptom control. HOTC’s goal is to visit each patient at least two times a week despite Medicare regulations that only require visits twice a month. Hospice of the Comforter strives to keep a ratio of one nurse to every 10 patients. The national average caseload for a hospice nurse is 15 to 20 patients.

Hospice of the Comforter is committed to ensuring that our nurses are the most highly trained and skilled in the latest advances in hospice care. The majority of our full and part-time licensed staff now carries the distinctive title of Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (CHPN).

Psychosocial Counselor: Our counselors serve as social workers who provide patients and families assistance in finding financial and emotional resources. They facilitate communication and support families with counseling. We require our counselors to have or be working toward having their master's degrees. Counselors run our Horizons bereavement support groups and the Horizons Children’s Loss Program.

Chaplain: Our nondenominational chaplains provide spiritual support to patients, caregivers and families, often serving as liaisons between them and their religious community. If patients do not have a church affiliation, chaplains can take a more primary role through visits and prayer. Chaplains often assist with memorial services and funeral arrangements. Hospice of the Comforter’s chaplains serve on our Ethics Committee, our Education Committee and the Yad L’Hesed Jewish Hospice program committee. In 2005, with a grant from a local foundation, our chaplains educated local churches, synagogues and other religious organizations about hospice. Click here to learn more about our Pastoral Care Department.

Certified Nursing Assistant: CNAs provide assistance with the personal care needs of our patients. They help patients bathe and dress and help with household chores as well. Our CNAs are highly trained. Many of our CNAs have passed the national certification exam designed for hospice CNAs.

Volunteers: Volunteers support patients and caregivers in less traditional roles, such as providing respite for a caregiver, running errands, befriending patients and simply being in the home to listen. Volunteers also participate in our Comforting Hearts program, providing Pet Therapy and Massage Therapy and facilitating our Life Reflections program.
Click here to learn more about our Volunteer Department.

Clinical Pharmacist: The clinical pharmacist provides end-of-life pain and symptom management. The pharmacist may recommend therapies and create medication plans with the nurse and physician and provide education to caregivers.

Site Map  |   Contact Us  |    Español  |    Privacy  |    Home