Coping with a serious or terminal illness is a very difficult experience, not just for the patient, but for all the loved ones involved.

Hospice of the North Shore is dedicated to helping patients and families who face these tough issues by providing supportive, compassionate care wherever the patient calls home.

Hospice care helps manage symptoms and enhance quality of life, integrating physical, emotional, social and spiritual support to meet the needs of the whole person.

Your needs are met by an interdisciplinary team of caregivers. The HNS team includes: the patient, patient’s family/caregiver, patient’s primary physician, hospice medical director, hospice nurses, social workers, chaplains and bereavement counselors, home health aides and trained volunteers. Each team member brings a diverse set of skills to the care of each patient and family.

Hospice services include:

• Expert pain and symptom management to keep patients as comfortable and as alert as possible.  
• Hospice-trained nurses on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for reassurance, concerns or emergencies at any time.
• Personal care for patients from specially trained home health aides, many who have advanced certification in hospice and palliative care, to help with bathing, dressing and other daily activities.
• Practical assistance to help coordinate services, equipment and medication deliveries. Family caregivers gain added skill, confidence and support from hospice nurses and social workers, resulting in greater peace of mind for managing their roles as caregivers.
• Ongoing guidance to help patients and families plan ahead, understand what to expect and gain assistance in handling any situation that arises.
• Flexibility for where care is delivered – at home, an assisted living community, a skilled nursing facility or hospital – so that you and your loved one can continue to receive hospice care no matter how your needs change. We achieve this flexibility through contracts with 6 hospitals and 48+ skilled nursing and assisted living facilities throughout the region, ensuring that you will always have an option close to home.
• Care for patients with any diagnosis, with or without a primary caregiver, and those receiving palliative treatments such as chemotherapy, dialysis and radiation.
• Comprehensive emotional and spiritual support for the patient and family from hospice chaplains trained as compassionate, nonjudgmental listeners who bring a spiritual perspective to providing care and comfort for people of all faiths and those with no religious affiliation. All faiths, traditions and experiences are honored.
• Trained and compassionate volunteers bring companionship as well as hands-on assistance with errands and other activities. A hospice volunteer can provide respite for the caregiver, or he or she may read a book and reminisce with the patient. A hospice volunteer can walk the dog or drive a patient to a doctor’s appointment. The roles of our volunteers are varied and invaluable to the families and patients they assist.
• One of the most comprehensive bereavement programs in New England, the Bertolon Center for Grief & Healing, a program of Hospice of the North Shore, continues to assist family members for 13 months after the patient’s death. The Center is also open to anyone in the community who has suffered a loss, regardless of involvement in hospice services. In fact, many other hospice programs refer their families to our support groups and workshops because we offer such in-depth services. For patients and families, the bereavement support starts during the patient’s illness as the Center’s bereavement counselors actively participate in all hospice team case conferences.

Hospice care from Hospice of the North Shore begins and ends with your wishes...
your goals, your concerns. Our services and support are designed to help you fulfill your loved one’s wishes, and to make every day the very best it can be.

For more information about Hospice of the North Shore services or to set up care, please call our Referral Center - 978-774-7566

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