Photo courtesy of Avera Marshall In a 2021 photo, Melissa Maranell, agency manager for Avera@Home (at right), spoke with nursing supervisor Jessica Guida and case manager Sheena Sanow. Maranell said Avera@Home was working to share information about hospice care options with the public during National Home Care and Hospice Month.

The question of when to get hospice care for a loved one or family member can be difficult to talk about. But it’s important for families to have those conversations, Kari Horvath said.

“It’s really just sitting down with them and meeting them where they’re at, and having that honest conversation about how things are going,” said Horvath, patient care coordinator for Avera@Home.

Horvath, together with Avera@Home agency manager Melissa Maranell and registered nurse Rachel Stenerson, said hospice care services can make a big difference for people who are facing serious or terminal illness. However, people don’t always know about the options available to them, Maranell said.

“People often think of hospice as a place, but it’s not,” she said. “With Avera@Home, we provide care in long-term care, in assisted living, at the hospital, their independent apartments or at their home.”

During November, which is National Home Care and Hospice Month, Avera was working to help educate the community about hospice care, Maranell said.

Hospice care services have been available through Avera@Home, Avera’s home care service, since 2014.

“We cover 16 counties within southwest Minnesota,” including the Marshall, Granite Falls and Tyler areas, Maranell said. So far this year, the team has cared for more than 200 hospice patients, said Stacy Neubeck, communications partner at Avera Marshall.

Maranell said hospice care is for people who have a life-limiting illness. Under Medicare guidelines, a person can qualify for hospice care if they have a life expectancy of six months or less. However, Maranell said the amount of time a person receives hospice care can vary, depending on their needs.

“Having that quality of time with your loved one, being able to have that quality of life, is always our goal,” Maranell said.

Horvath said patients can also choose to end hospice services as well.

“So if there’s something that happens, a change in their conditions or a different option that becomes available, they can go off services,” she said.

Stenerson said the Avera care team works to assess a patient’s condition, and tailor care to the patient’s needs. Depending on the person, that could mean helping with their daily living needs, bringing adaptive equipment to their home, or focusing on treating symptoms and comfort.

“We have lots of resources, and we have a good team approach,” Stenerson said.

In one example, Stenerson said she has worked with a home care patient who later became a hospice patient. One of the patient’s main goals was to be able to stay in their home with their spouse, she said.

“Our interdisciplinary team met, and we reviewed what kind of services we could offer and what their goals were, and that was to remain in their home. So, we have nursing and aides,” she said.

“We try to provide a more holistic type of care, and really focus on not only their physical needs, but also their spiritual and emotional needs,” Horvath said.

Maranell and Horvath said families can also benefit from having conversations about hospice care earlier. Horvath said part of her work as a patient care coordinator includes meeting with families and patients to talk about what hospice services Avera is able to provide.

“I really like when I’m able to get in there and do the education early,” she said. “Because then, whether they decide at that point to go on hospice or not, they can make that educated decision when the time is right.”

Being able to build relationships with patients and families is a crucial part of hospice care, Horvath and Stenerson said.

“When our nurses go do their visits, they work as a liaison between the family and the patient and the physician. So if they’re seeing any kind of change in condition, they’re going to alert the physician and let them know,” Horvath said. “It’s that constant touching base with them, and assessing what their needs are and how we can best serve that family.”

“We’re really honored to be there at the end of life with families and patients. Because it can be an uncomfortable situation, and if we can ease any of that, it’s what we strive to do, and love to do,” Stenerson said.

Maranell said area residents interested in learning more about hospice care services through Avera@Home can call 507-537-7070. People can also make online inquiries through Avera’s website, at www.avera.org/services/hospice.