FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
CONSTELLATION HOSPICE RECEIVES MEDICARE CERTIFICATION
New Hospice Provider to See Patients in their Homes
Orange, CT – June 21, 2012 — Constellation Home Care has announced the official opening of Constellation Hospice which received its Medicare certification on June 14, 2012. As part of the Constellation Health Services family of companies, Constellation Hospice will begin to admit patients in the communities of lower New Haven County and upper Fairfield County.
Constellation Health Services, President, Joanne Walsh explained what the addition of hospice care meant for the home health and private duty company, “Hospice certification means that we are now able to embrace the needs of those we serve and follow them at home whether they are recovering, convalescing or preparing for end-of-life. Hospice home care is widely recognized for its emphasis on caring for the patient and family holistically: physically, spiritually and emotionally. Constellation Hospice will fully carry on that loving tradition and in doing so, provide a valued resource to our communities.”
Recent studies have shown that home-based care is less expensive than comparable care at a skilled nursing facility or assisted living facility and research conducted by the National Hospice Foundation showed that although 80% of Americans wish to die at home, less than 25% actually do.
Hospice provides pain and symptom relief, as well as emotional and spiritual support, typically in the last six months of life. Hospice care can be rendered in the patient’s home or in an institutional setting like a hospital or freestanding facility. Hospice care differs from home care services in that they have two very different goals. Home Care is intended to rehabilitate and help patients recover to their maximum potential; but Hospice focuses on providing comfort, relieving pain and offering support for those with life-limiting health conditions and their families. Additional benefits to hospice patients are that the staff is on-call 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and services are available to the family members of the patient for emotional, spiritual and bereavement support.
Ms. Walsh is a member of the State of Connecticut Health Care Reform Cabinet under Governor Daniel Malloy and a member of the Government Relations Committee of the Connecticut Association for Home Care and Hospice.
For more information on Constellation Health Services, or the new Constellation Hospice program please call 800.860.6656 or visit www.constellationhs.com.
Constellation Health Services is a family of companies offering home care, hospice, private duty, geriatric care management services and school-based therapy solutions to the communities of Connecticut’s Fairfield and New Haven counties.
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