Safety net catches caregivers

Family caregivers often feel alone and unsupported in their roles. One hospice organization is spreading a wide safety net of virtual and handson hospice care options available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, but its most unique feature focuses on the 128 evening, night, and weekend hours each week.

Working the night shift at the Call Center, Whitney Turley, RN, clinical response specialist, says, “Families express such relief, they just need reassurance that they are doing the right thing.”

This safety net is preventing hospital readmissions for even high-intensity patients. During the first quarter this year, registered nurses answered more than 2,000 calls at the Clinical Response Center in order to provide quick answers to family caregiver questions. A hands-on approach was the best course of action 652 times, and a local Rapid Response Team member (registered nurse) was deployed to the patient’s home.

Hospice family caregivers across the state depend on clinical response specialists to talk them through a loved ones’ special health care needs at a moment’s notice. Every call is measured, and every response is scored the level of resolution with a proprietary score card.

“We get a lot of calls for support at night. I work with family caregivers, physicians and a network of nurses to keep patients safe and comfortable wherever they call home.” Turley adds, “I am confident in our team, and would want them caring for my loved ones at night.”

During this season of unusual and unconventional care options, Hospice Home Care’s Clinical Response Center and Rapid Response Team offer patients and families unparalleled service. This after-hours care model remains the highest standard in the hospice industry.