N America News May 2017

66 NORTH AMERICA NEWS / MAY 2017 , Delta Hospice is a Joint Commission accredited hospice care provider with facilities in Chino and Temecula, California. Close to its location, the hospice is able to serve the hospice care needs of patients and families in the areas of Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County. CEO, Vivian Obiamalu, talks to us about the hospice and what it has to offer. The Best Care Available Delta Hospice focuses on providing quality individualized physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual care to its patients. The organisation adopts a family- oriented approach in developing a care plan that meets the needs of its patients and their families. Vivian Obiamalu, chief executive officer of Delta Hospice, tells us more about the firm and the care it offers. “For years in the practice, we’ve gained a deep understanding of what a family needs – not just the patient – during the onset of a debilitating and life-limiting illness,” she explains. “Though most of the medical care will be focused on physical needs such as pain management, there is also a great need for emotional support. We offer care and compassion for the entire household with the hope to make the end-of-life journey of your loved one easier to bear. “Beginning hospice care can be an overwhelming experience, but our clinical and non-clinical staff members are here to make the patient’s journey peaceful. We do this by providing excellent physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual care to all of our patients. We do this by maintaining diverse and educated staff members: physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, social workers, chaplains, and certified home health aides.” From Delta, patients can expect quality health care services with prompt responses. The team is an interdisciplinary group, consisting of the patient’s personal physician, a Medical Director and a highly-trained and motivated team of skilled nurses. Home health aides, social workers, dieticians, chaplains and other counselors, volunteers, speech, physical and occupational therapists also provide services on Delta’s behalf. The hospice also offers durable power of attorney for health care. Everyone has the right to plan and make their own health care decisions. A durable power of attorney is an “advance directive” to caregivers, ensuring that a patient’s wishes are executed in the event he/she becomes too sick to communicate them. As a recipient of federal financial assistance, Delta Hospice will not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, or national origin or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities. This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to these statutes at the Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 80, 84 and 91. “Our mission at Delta Hospice is clear,” states Vivian. “We will not rest until we have given our best; we believe that each person’s life is a remarkable journey; we believe that each moment and phase of every life should be lived in utmost dignity; we believe that life should be unrestricted by avoidable pain discomfort; we believe in striving to provide our patient’s with the necessary care to ensure that they live every minute of their remarkable journey in a dignified and pain-free manner; we believe that spiritual upliftment is a necessary component of all phases of life. We aim to provide spiritual upliftment to our clients through the provision of chaplains of various religious persuasions, who are always available to minister to the spiritual needs of our clients; we will care for physical and emotional symptoms that cause pain, discomfort and distress; and we consult with the patient’s physician to make sure medication, therapies and procedures are designed to achieve the goals outlined in the patient’s care plan.” Delta Hospice is committed to providing quality care that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. “We want to ensure that our patients transition comfortably and with dignity. We believe in setting a high standard that exceeds the expectations of our patients. Our goal is to assist patients, families and caregivers in various ways to decrease anxiety and increase the patient’s quality of life by managing pain and controlling additional symptoms. “As a patient, family member or caregiver your questions should never go unanswered. Never hesitate to let us know how we are doing. We will send out a Perception of Care Survey through the mail and periodically make phone calls to ensure that excellent care is being provided. Our Home Chart and Hospice Resource Guide are available for you to review anytime. We encourage you to review your Home Chart and discuss any comments or concerns with our staff members. “We understand that patients have a choice and we choose to be the best. Thank you for choosing Delta Hospice. We consider it a privilege to be a part of your journey.” 1612CA05