What is a hospice house?

A hospice house is a peaceful home-like residence where terminally ill people receive short term hospice care. The patients are limited to hospice patients – either those who are newly entering hospice care or are already established hospice patients. The hospice house will be staffed by skilled hospice nurses, aides, and a physician or nurse practitioner. Each hospice patient will have a comfortable, private bedroom so their loved ones can remain at the bedside around the clock when time is precious. The setting is very quiet, homey, and tranquil – unlike a hospital or nursing home. There will be 7-8 bedrooms at Sojourn Center. A typical stay is 3 -7 days. Like other hospice houses, our community’s house will have lovely pastoral landscaping to ensure peace and privacy both inside and outside the house. A woodland walking path for loved ones to find solace in nature, a meditation garden, and outside private sitting areas for patients and their family are typical outdoor features. When would people use Sojourn Center Hospice House?

• For intensive management of uncontrolled pain or other discomfort that did not respond to home hospice interventions.
• Their home caregiver is temporarily not available due to surgery, illness, or injury
• Caregiver becomes too frail, exhausted or unwell to continue care in their home
• Their care needs are too complicated for the staff at their residential setting
• The hospice patient is lingering in the hospital because their skilled care needs are too complex to go directly home
• The family or patient prefers that death occur in a setting other than their home (e.g., there is an emotionally fragile household member, or the elderly spouse is exhausted, or it is a very young family with lots of commotion or a family that prefers the death not to occur in the home)