FAIRFIELD – The Jewish Home of Fairfield County has announced the launch of the Chaifetz Family Hospice, focused on providing the highest quality of life and maximum comfort for a terminally ill person by reducing pain and addressing physical, social, psychological and spiritual needs.
Made up of specially trained nurses, physicians, social workers, home health aides, clergy, and physical, occupational, and speech therapists, members of the Home’s hospice team travel to wherever the patient is, whether that is the client’s own home, a family member’s home, an assisted living facility, or a long-term care facility. In addition, hospice volunteers and trained professionals offer services for families, including emotional and spiritual support, light housekeeping, and grief counseling with a bereavement specialist.
According to hospice program director, Deb Wesley RN, the Chaifetz Family Hospice is not solely for those in their final days of life. A patient may be eligible for hospice if they can no longer be helped by curative treatment and have a life expectancy of less than six months. Hospice care is not meant to cure or treat the underlying disease, but intended to manage the symptoms to promote quality of life. In addition, she notes, early hospice care can help the family and the patient throughout a difficult process. Most of the hospice expenses are covered by Medicare.
“The recent launch of the Chaifetz Family Hospice is just the next step in building our comprehensive continuum of care,” says Andrew H. Banoff, the Home’s president and CEO. “Our dedicated and compassionate team of professionals has been caring for the elderly for 39 years. This is a natural extension of our expertise.