Providing care where patients call home is what hospice is all about. With social distancing being the new normal, why should you let hospice or palliative clinicians into your home to care for you?

Hospice and palliative care workers adapt to work in extreme conditions.
Hospice and palliative workers don’t get a break when we get an ice storm, tornado, or other natural disaster. Through emergency action plans, regular interdepartmental team meetings, and daily communication, our team is always communicating to determine the best course of action to care for patients.

Hospice and palliative care is provided wherever the patient calls home, meaning less exposure for the patient.
The goal of hospice and palliative care is to keep the patient in the home setting and out of the hospital. With expert care being provided in the home, pain and other symptoms are being properly managed. This is especially important during this pandemic.

Clinicians are expertly trained to provide necessary care while keeping patients safe.
Our hospice and palliative team members are specially trained in the prevention of exposure through current KY and CDC guidelines. Our clinicians have also been trained to avoid infectious disease transmission during normal and abnormal times. Currently, all staff are self-monitoring to ensure safety of employees and patients before the work day and are notifying their supervisor and staying home if exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.

The patient’s care team is only a phone call away and available to him/her 24/7.
While our nurses, aides, chaplains, social workers, and volunteers cannot be in the home with the patient all the time, they are only a phone call away should the need for a visit arise. If your loved one is exhibiting any symptoms or needs, give us a call at (270) 826-2326 and someone will assess the situation and make a visit- day or night, weekday, weekend, or even on holidays.

Chaplains provide necessary spiritual care.
With houses of worship closing their doors, many people are feeling lost and/or alone without their spiritual guidance. Our chaplains are still helping provide an extra layer of comfort and spiritual support to ensure you are where you want to be in that aspect of your life. Our chaplains never try to change your spiritual beliefs, rather they help you meet your needs.

Hospice and Palliative clinicians remain in contact with your physician.
Many physician and specialist offices are closing, converting to telehealth, or rescheduling numerous appointments during these hectic times. Our clinicians remain in contact with your physician to determine the best symptom management options for you to keep you at home and out of the hospital.

Social Workers can assist with advanced directives.
Patients in hospice and palliative care are often considered the most vulnerable patients, should they contract COVID-19. Having advanced directives such as a Living Will, Power of Attorney, or Five Wishes in place ensures that your wishes will be honored after your death. Legal jargon can be difficult to understand and it can also be difficult to begin the process. We have social workers that specialize in assisting you with these documents so your healthcare wishes will be honored and it will be easier on your family after your passing.

Hospice care includes bereavement services for your loved ones.
Not only does hospice care holistically treat the patient; grief support is offered to the family for 15 months after the patient passes away. We want to be sure the family is emotionally cared for and we provide grief camps, grief support groups, and grief counseling.

Our clinicians provide education to the patient and family.
Whether the patient and family needs education about the patient’s life-limiting disease or COVID-19, we can provide it! Our clinicians will provide in-home education on COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, testing, and treatments to ensure the patient and family remains safe.

Should the patient require additional care or the caregiver need a break, we have the Lucy Smith King Care Center.
Our community is fortunate to have an inpatient hospice facility, the Lucy Smith King Care Center. The facility is staffed 24/7 to provide acute care for symptoms that cannot be managed in the home setting. In addition to a higher level of care, we also provide respite care. Respite care is provided for up to 5 days in which the caregiver gets a break from caring for their loved one.

As we navigate through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to keep up with accurate information. Please visit our webpage of frequently asked questions or the CDC website for updates and additional information.

If you are unsure if hospice or palliative care if appropriate for you or a loved one, take our short quiz.

With all the stress of social distancing and quarantine, we wanted to share some things that our staff members are doing to keep a bit of “normal” or “sanity” in their lives this week.

• We have seen patients while wearing our new fancy masks; special thanks to our amazing volunteers for making them!
• We have celebrated some pup birthdays and lots of dog and cat snuggles!
• We are continuing to screen patients, visitors, and staff members for signs of COVID-19.
• We are living by quotes and scripture verses we hold near our hearts.
• We are homeschooling our kids and enjoying the sunshine!
• We are collecting toilet paper to give to staff members and patients who are having difficulty finding any. Promise we are not only building forts 😉
• We are having lunch with coworkers, from a safe distance.
• We have volunteers helping us with many projects- including refinishing the benches outside the Lucy Smith King Care Center and adding some new flowers.
• We made some little healthy kits with a comparison/contrast of COVID-19 vs. flu, hand sanitizer, tissue pack, and our card.
• We are crafting, playing some social distancing cards, reading, and fishing in our spare time.
• We are lighting up green for the lives lost to COVID-19.
• We are looking forward to the 4pm daily Governor Andy Beshear briefings.

With all the things we are doing or have done, here’s some things we are not doing:

• We are NOT letting this virus get our spirits down.
• We are NOT living in fear of this virus, rather we are taking proper precautions to protect ourselves, our patients, our families, and our patient’s families.

We are so honored to be serving residents of Henderson, Union and Webster counties and are not going to let this virus get in the way of helping our patients. Thank you for allowing us to help you in critical times and after the passing of a loved one!

As an organization dedicated to providing outstanding end-of-life care, our uncompromising priority right now at St. Anthony’s Hospice is protecting those in our care and our team members from exposure to coronavirus COVID-19. We know that our patient population is among those at risk to the effects of the illness, and we understand that our patients and families may have fears and concerns.

Here’s what we have done in preparation for COVID-19 and continue to do to prevent the spread of infection across our community.

• We are strictly following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the Kentucky Department of Health, and local government leaders and health departments.  We are monitoring daily changes in county-level activities as well as federal expertise and recommendations.
• Our clinical and leadership teams are practicing exceptional hand hygiene and have increased our disinfecting processes. We currently have the hand hygiene, disinfectant, and personal protective equipment supplies that we need.
• Our team is being monitored for illness so that individuals who may be ill are not coming to work. We are supporting employees who need time away from work due to illness.
• We are adhering to changing clinical protocols at long-term care facilities and hospitals. We are engaged with our healthcare partners and actively participating in their initiatives to reduce the risk of infection at their locations, especially when we are caring for patients in those facilities receiving hospice or palliative care.
• We are educating patients and families receiving care in their homes. During home visits, our clinical teams are sharing information with families about prevention, screening and signs and symptoms. We are advising families to screen visitors to their homes.
• We have suspended routine volunteer activities.

The CDC has provided excellent guidance on preventative measures for older adults and at-risk populations, which St. Anthony’s Hospice will follow and share with patients and families. We recommend all Kentuckians with questions and concerns follow the definitive sources for information nationally and locally for COVID-19 updates:

The Centers for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

The Kentucky Department of Health https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/Pages/covid19.aspx

Hi Everyone!

We know there’s a lot of information out about COVID-19 (or coronavirus) and we wanted to give you all some facts. St. Anthony’s Hospice is still providing patient care and taking the appropriate precautions. Please note that all of this information is directly from the CDC and WHO websites.

• What is coronavirus disease (COVID-19)? Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that spreads from person to person; it is a “novel coronavirus” that was first identified due to an outbreak in Wuhan, China.
• How does COVID-19 spread? The virus that causes coronavirus likely emerged from an animal source but the disease is now being spread from person-to-person. It is mainly being spread from people in close contact (within 6 feet from each other or less) and through respiratory droplets produced when a person coughs and/or sneezes. It is also possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth; this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
• What are the symptoms of COVID-19? Fever, cough, shortness of breath are the main symptoms of this virus. These symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure. Seek medical attention immediately IF you have difficulty breathing/shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, or if your lips/face turn a bluish color. Some severe complications of this virus include pneumonia in both lungs, multi-organ failure, and even death. If you are experiencing mild symptoms, please stay home and away from other family members, friends, and pets.
• How do I protect myself and loved ones? The best thing to do is to practice proper hand hygiene! Wash your hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol properly disinfects yourself. Also, disinfect high-traffic surfaces, practice social isolation, and cough/sneeze into a tissue or your elbow and wash your hands after.
• But the media says everyone is dying? Those at higher risk for severe complications include older adults and those with serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. Unfortunately, this is the population most at-risk for death from COVID-19. However, anyone of any age can contract the virus. Fortunately, the death rate in the United States is low.
• If I wear a mask, is there a lower chance of me contracting the virus? Masks are most effective when someone infected with COVID-19 wears them or a healthcare professional wears them while caring for someone infected with or potentially infected with COVID-19. Please save the masks and respirators for the sick and the professionals caring for the sick. The general population does not properly wear and/or dispose the masks.
• Can my pet get this? Or can I get this from my pet? While the virus is thought to have been contracted from an animal, currently there are no cases of people contracting the virus from their pet or passing the virus to their pet. However, please wash your hands after playing with or picking up after your pet(s) and avoid touching your face. If you are experiencing symptoms, please quarantine yourself away from pets, to avoid potentially spreading this virus to your pet.

St. Anthony’s Hospice is still caring for the seriously ill. Our clinicians are more than happy to go into patient homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, etc. and care for them, even in this pandemic. We are taking all precautions to ensure our patients and staff do not contract this virus. All potential patients will be screened by our admissions team and all visitors to the Lucy Smith King Care Center will be screened prior to visiting their loved one.

If you have any questions for us during this pandemic or if you have a patient that needs our help, please do not hesitate to call- (270) 826-2326.