“I don’t know what we would have done without Hospice’s help – I only wish we had known about your services sooner!” ~a grateful Hospice familyWhile caring for our patients during the final months of life and supporting their families and caregivers, Hospice By The Bay often hears comments like this one. Our compassionate attention to our patients’ medical, physical, practical and spiritual needs, and our training and emotional support of family and caregivers means the world to them during this very difficult time.However, of the more than 2,000 families in Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco and Northern San Mateo counties that Hospice By The Bay serves each year, many could call on our help much sooner to receive the maximum benefit from our programs – as much as six months of care and support paid for through Medicare, Medi-Cal or private insurance. And, depending on their ongoing prognosis and as long as they meet hospice criteria, some patients remain under Hospice’s care longer than six months.Six Months of Expert Care and Grief Support
Patients of all ages, with all types of life-limiting illness may qualify for Hospice’s care. They rely on our more than 30 years of expertise – to alleviate pain and discomfort, while offering attentive personal care and practical and spiritual support – in order to maintain the highest quality of life possible each day. In partnership with their family, caregivers and the patient’s physician, Hospice By The Bay provides care wherever our patients call home – whether that’s a family residence, a long-term care facility or a hospital.Hospice By The Bay also provides training and support to family caregivers, teaching them how to care for loved ones during their final months. During this difficult emotional time, our visits also provide much-needed relief for caregivers. Families and community members can also find the emotional support to help them cope with feelings of grief before and after the loss of a loved one through our Bereavement Program.Helping Patients and Families Save on Medical Costs
For families struggling to pay for end-of-life care during this economic downtime, Hospice By The Bay’s care is available with little or no out-of-pocket expense. Families can save on costs for essentials such as prescriptions, or medical equipment such as a hospital bed or oxygen, since the Hospice Medicare Benefit generally covers those items.As a nonprofit hospice, Hospice By The Bay’s mission is to ensure that everyone who needs us gets the highest quality support and end-of-life care. That means that, regardless of financial circumstances or ability to pay, no one is denied the dignity and comfort of hospice care at the end of life. However, Medicare and other health care resources only partially cover of the cost of care. We ask for donations from community members and businesses to ensure that everyone receives our compassionate care. Along with support for Hospice services, donations also fund programs that provide caregiver support, direct patient care volunteers and community grief counseling. Hospice By The Bay also provides consultation, referrals, education and other services to the community at no cost.Hospice Care Helps America Save Money, TooAlong with helping patients and families, hospice care saves America’s health care system money. A 2007 study by Duke University found that hospice reduced Medicare costs by $2,300 per patient, amounting to more than $2 billion in savings to Medicare per year.Hospice By The Bay, which serves Marin, San Francisco, Northern San Mateo and Sonoma counties, is dedicated to providing the highest quality of end-of-life care to patients and their families regardless of their ability to pay. Hospice By The Bay also serves people whose lives have been affected by the loss of a loved one through its community grief support program.
Hospice By The Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been serving the Bay Area since 1975.Hospice By The Bay programs are funded through health care reimbursement and financial and in-kind donations from community members and businesses. For more information about Hospice By The Bay’s care or to make a donation to support our work, call (415) 927-2273, or visit www.hospicebythebay.org.
