Our Hospice Team
Skilled Professionals Dedicated To Helping both Patient and Family
The range of comprehensive hospice services at Southwest General is administered and carried out by a team of highly trained and compassionate professionals focused on helping your loved one as well as you and your family.
Administration
The manager of the Hospice Services team is Alice Leach, RN. She can be reached for any concerns at 440-816-5000.
Our Hospice business office is located at The Thomas P. Perciak Family Residential Hospice and can provide assistance with any questions regarding insurance, billing or payments. They can be reached at 440-816-5017.
Hospice Aide
A hospice aide is a specially trained person who comes to the home or nursing home several times each week to help the family care for the personal needs of the patient. This care includes bathing, shampooing and pampering the patient. This compassionate care is provided by 13 different fully-trained staff members. This team works to provide the same two aides throughout the patient’s hospice experience. This consistency of service provides a unique level of comfort and personalized care.
Nurses
Many of the nurses of Hospice Services of Southwest General are certified in hospice and palliative care. A specific nurse is assigned as the manager of the patient’s care and the team works to provide the same two nurses to each patient and family to provide consistent care. A nurse comes to the home as needed by the patient or family and there is an on-call nurse available 24 hours a day for emergency concerns. A registered nurse is present in the residential facility 24 hours day.
Physician
Our Hospice Services is led by Dr. Rafik Massouh, a physician with dedicated hospice and palliative care experience. As the attending physician and medical director, he visits the residential center patients each week and is available on weekends, as needed. He also oversees the care provided by Hospice Services to our outpatients. While under our Hospice care, our patients always retain the right to request that their primary care physician direct their medical care. They also may request that our Hospice Services attending physician direct their medical care decisions.
Social Worker
Our social worker provides holistic patient and family-centered care across treatment and care settings. They work to get to know and understand the person and family in the context of their lives while striving to enhance the strengths of the terminally ill person and family as they cope with their life situation. They will listen to what you have to say and they can help you talk about the people and things that are important to you. Their thorough knowledge of community services and can help you arrange for care quickly and efficiently.
Spiritual Care Coordinator
Our spiritual care coordinator is available to assist in meeting the needs of all Hospice Services patients and their family members. The coordinator acknowledges and respects the patient’s and family’s beliefs, culture and values related to life’s meaning, including suffering, loss and a desire for services. The spiritual care provided supports patients and their families in the exploration of questions related to the illness, one’s relationship with others, nature, self-image and hope.
Spiritual Care is a vital aspect in the holistic care concept of hospice. Accordingly, hospice acknowledges and values the uniqueness of each person and recognizes that by being human, one has spiritual needs in their life’s journey. The spiritual care coordinator is also are available to interdisciplinary team members for matters regarding spirituality and related care and services.
Volunteer Coordinator
Our volunteer coordinator, together with the hospice staff, assesses the needs of the patients, families and caregivers for supportive services and assigns volunteers to meet those specific needs. Care is provided in homes, home-like settings and in The Thomas P. Perciak Family Residential Hospice. Our volunteers are an integral part of the hospice team and the "life" of this facility providing assistance seven days a week, 12 hours a day. Volunteers serve as:
- Welcoming greeters
- Patient support in the residential center and in homes
- Vigil volunteers at bedside
- Office support/clerical personnel
Hospice volunteers receive the satisfaction of having made a difference in someone’s life through greater self-knowledge gained from relationships with patients, caregivers and family members.
We Look Forward to Helping You
For more information about our Hospice Team at Southwest General or to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs, please contact us at 440-816-5040 or hospicereferral@swgeneral.com.
