Hospice services and support
We'll be there.
When you need support and guidance or a listening ear- we'll be there.
Crossing Rivers Health Hospice is a philosophy of care whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for patients and their families faced with a terminal illness.
Hospice is provided in a variety of settings including private homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and for short-term purposes, at area hospitals. Specially trained registered nurses are available 24/7.
Lean on the expert team at Crossing Rivers Health Hospice to help guide you and your family through your final journey.
Hospice care may be appropriate when the patient, family, and physician determine that medical treatment no longer offers a cure, or the patient and family have decided to stop treatment. The sooner the Crossing Rivers Health Hospice team becomes involved, the more they can assist with supportive care, providing physical and emotional comfort to the patient and family.
If your loved one is extremely ill and has experienced some of the following symptoms during the last six months, talk to their provider to determine if they may qualify for hospice.
- Weight loss
- Decreased/minimal appetite
- Significant change in assistance needed with activities of daily living (ADL)
- Increased need for pain medication
- Start or increase in oxygen use
- Level of consciousness change
- Increase in treatments or therapies
- More restless, withdrawn, isolated
- Skin breakdown
- Changes in ambulatory ability
Renal disease (kidney)
- Anorexia (appetite loss)
- Abnormal liver enzymes
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
- Ascites (swelling of abdomen)
- Edema (swelling)
- Elevated Prothrombin Time
Cardiac disease (heart)
- Increased assistance with activities of daily living
- CHF symptoms that persist while on maximum medical treatment
- Continued symptomatic CHF while on optimal diuretics and vasodilators
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath) at rest
- Ejection fraction of 20% or less
Pulmonary disease (lung)
- Frequent emergency department visits/ hospitalizations
- Increased oxygen dependency
- Increased heart rate at rest
- Carbon dioxide retention
- 10% weight loss over the past 6 months
Cancer
- Evidence of metastasis or end-stage disease
- Curative aggressive treatment has stopped
- Anorexia with significant weight loss
- Requiring pain-symptom management with frequent interventions
Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs and most private insurances cover hospice care. As a non-profit agency, no one is denied services because of the inability to pay. There is no reason to defer Hospice care due to financial concerns. Most people receiving hospice services today use the Medicare Hospice Benefit, which covers 100% of the cost of care related to the terminal illness.
Crossing Rivers Health Hospice program serves the southwest Wisconsin communities throughout Crawford County, along with portions of Grant, Vernon, and Richland counties in Wisconsin, as well as portions of northeast Iowa, including Clayton and Allamakee counties.
Members of the Hospice staff will make regular visits to assess the patient and provide additional care. The Hospice nurse usually visits one to three times per week, the Hospice aide usually visits three to fives times per week, the Hospice social worker will typically visit one time per week. The Hospice on-call nurse is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can answer your questions and provide support at any time of the day or night, including when there is a medical emergency.
