To the editor:

What a great article in a recent TDB by the Savvy Senior about hospice care. We hope people will talk about their choices long before necessary and put things in place to make those wishes known.

Please allow me to elaborate on the specifics of our hospice care. If you live in this area and need a hospice provider (and remember: you have the right to choose your hospice provider), we hope you will choose Hospice of the Carolina Foothills. On to the specifics:

In addition to a physician/medical director we also have two family nurse practitioners who can come to the home, evaluate for eligibility, provide care and meet with family members to develop a care plan.

In addition to pain medication, our skilled nurses manage all aspects of medical care, including wound care, ordering medical supplies, coordinating with physicians, and much more.

To receive care from our hospice, just call us. We can help coordinate with your physician to determine how we can best help you, whether Palliative Care or Hospice Care, according to the guidelines of Medicare eligibility.

To locate a great hospice, refer also to Consumer Reports. They have set up a six-point criteria, which we meet, to use in evaluating hospice care.

• Not-for-profit status and 20 or more years of experience.
• Hospice-certified nurses and doctors on staff and available 24 hours per day.
• Palliative-care consultants who can begin care if you’re not yet ready for hospice.
• An inpatient unit, where patients can go if symptoms can’t be managed at home.
• Ability to provide care in nursing homes and assisted living residences.
• Medicare approval. That way, Medicare will cover services, including equipment and home health aides as needed, plus counseling and grief support for the patient and the family.

We have also just been accredited by The Joint Commission.

We are always happy to meet with anyone and will provide informational visits in the home or at one of our two locations (Columbus/Landrum). Everything, of course, is always confidential. Just call us. We’re here, bringing more help than you thought you needed.

Thanks for covering such an important topic.

Jean Eckert
CEO of Hospice of the Carolina Foothills