Arbor Hospice is provided by a team of trained medical professionals who are skilled in addressing the complexity of each patient's needs. Each team member plays a unique role, focusing on the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient and family.

 

Your Arbor Hospice team will include:

• Physician: Care is managed by your own physician or by the agency's physician who is Hospice and Palliative Care Board Certified and has advanced training in pain management and symptom control.
• Registered Nurse: Specially trained hospice nurses are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They visit as often as needed to monitor a patient's condition and provide comfort care. Nurses also teach family members caregiving skills and what to expect throughout the course of the illness.
• Social Worker: Social workers provide counseling, educational and emotional support to patients and families during this difficult period. Social workers also assist with specific end-of-life issues such as saying goodbye, life review and validating the importance of the patient's life.
• Dietician: Dieticians assist patients in attaining the best nutritional intake possible given the current state of his or her health. Working with the physician, dieticians will propose alternative ideas for food types that are more appetizing to the patient or ways of preparing or serving the food that make it possible for the patient to eat.
• Spiritual Care: Spiritual care counselors provide non-denominational services, support and counseling that enable patients and families to connect with their beliefs.
• Hospice Aides: Aides offer much needed relief for families and caregivers by helping with personal care and activities of daily living.
• Volunteers: Specially trained volunteers assist in a multitude of capacities including companionship, respite care and grief support to patients and families as needed.
• Grief Support Service Coordinators: Grief Support Service Coordinators help the family and caregiver prepare for and come to terms with the loss of the patient. They support both adults and children.

 The hospice care team may also include:

• Other Therapists: Physical, occupational, speech and nutritional therapists assist patients according to their individual needs.
• Alpine: Arbor Hospice's Golden Retriever, Alpine, provides pet therapy to patients and their families. Alpine brings comfort and companionship to patients in their own homes or in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. 
• Music Therapist: A music therapist uses music to address pain in patients of all ages. Research shows that music therapy reduces pain, anxiety and depression, while bringing about positive changes in mood.
• Art Therapist: Art therapists use the creative process of art to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of patients and their families. Artistic self-expression helps patients and families reduce stress and cope with anxiety, while creating meaningful remembrance peices for family members.
• Massage Therapist: Massage therapists provide comfort and relaxation with a gentle and compassionate touch. Massage therapy decreases emotional distress, anxiety, physical discomfort, nausea and muscle and joint tension or stiffness, while improving circulation.