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What is hospice?

Kansas City Hospice What is hospiceHospice is a family-centered approach to care at the end of life that focuses on making every day count. It is provided with a team of experts that bring as much or as little care as you want to you and your family. Hospice can be provided wherever you want to live.

What is hospice? Hospice is offered when the focus shifts away from treatment to comfort and support. It generally begins when life expectancy is in months rather than years. Hospice allows you to choose where you want to spend the last months of your life and how you want to be treated during this time.

Your hospice team will work with you and your family to understand what is most important to you and to honor your wishes. Hospice is offered at home, in assisted living, or in a long-term care facility. If you need more intense care, you may go to the Kansas City Hospice House™ or NorthCare Hospice House, where our staff provides care around the clock and your family is relieved of the stresses of caregiving.

Hospice provides:

  • Expert management of symptoms like pain, nausea, shortness of breath, insomnia, and anxiety
  • Services for people of every age, from babies and children to adults
  • Team approach to care that gives you more knowledge and expertise
  • Emotional and spiritual support for you and your family
  • Volunteers to help with things that are not covered by insurance, like companionship, time off for caregivers, errands, pet care and more
  • Care that comes to you where you live
  • Your choice of what care you want to receive and a promise to honor your wishes
  • You can change your mind at any time
Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care is here to answer your questions on “what is hospice?” Call to schedule an informational visit 816.363.2600 or contact us online.

2 Comments on “What is hospice?”

  1. Amy Dees Says:

    Do you guys provide compassionate care during the active dying stage?

  2. Jessica Kelly Says:

    Hi Amy, yes we support the patient and the whole family during the active dying stage, offering support immediately after, and through the grief and healing process. You can call us at 816.363.2600 and we can share more detailed information about your specific questions regarding the support we provide during the active dying stage.

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Our Programs

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care provides comprehensive, expert care for all ages at all stages of serious illness.

Hospice Care

When the focus shifts to comfort instead of treatment, care comes to your home or nursing facility with a plan tailored to your needs, including emotional and spiritual support for the whole family.

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Hospice Care

Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care is the community clinical site for the University of Kansas Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. We're committed to developing physicians with specialty-level training in caring for patients with serious or terminal illness.

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Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Community-Based Palliative Care

Beginning as early as diagnosis and at any stage of serious illness, our nurse practitioners make home visits as needed to help coordinate your care and provide expert pain and symptom management.

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Community-Based Palliative Care
Hospice House

Hospice House

When symptoms cannot be easily managed at home, two hospice houses provide 24/7 expert care in comfortable home-line settings where family members can be relieved of caregiving duties to focus on loved ones.

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Carousel Pediatric Care

Carousel provides palliative and hospice care for perinatal and for babies through young adults with a dedicated team of pediatric nurses, social workers, chaplains and other specialists.

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Carousel Pediatric Care
Solace House

Solace House

Our center for grief and healing supports individuals and families who have been impacted by the death of a loved one, whether anticipated, or sudden and unexpected. We provide opportunities to share, listen, learn and heal with peer group support from age 3 through adult.

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