Your Hospice Team

Our team consists of the following experts:

Physicians: Your personal physician will continue to play an important role, partnering with our Medical Directors who are knowledgeable and experienced in planning for this type of care.

Hospice Nurses: Our nurses are trained to manage the physical changes that will occur, along with tending to your emotional needs. Our hospice nurses specialize in providing education to the individual and caregivers involved about what to expect and how to best manage the condition. They collaborate with each family and the rest of the hospice team to meet your needs 24/7.

Social Workers: Your social worker will listen to your needs and become an advocate for you and your loved ones. Counseling, emotional support, assistance with personal decisions, planning and identification of resources are just some of the ways your social worker can serve you.

Chaplains: A chaplain can visit you and provide an open, sensitive, non-judgmental presence to you and your family. This resource can be utilized even if you already have a religious or spiritual leader in your life; hospice chaplains connect and work together with your spiritual leader to help them better understand this process.

Certified Home Health Aides: These caring individuals provide companionship and can help with personal cares such as bathing and eating, along with meal preparation, light housekeeping and more.

Volunteers: Hundreds of individuals from our community dedicate their time as Hospice volunteers. Our volunteer team is specifically trained to offer you social and emotional support and companionship as well as a respite to caregivers who might need to leave the home for a short period of time.

On-call Nurses: A hospice specialist is available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer your questions, respond to any problems you may encounter and visit you at your home whenever needed.

Grief Support: We have an extensive grief and bereavement program at Horizon. Please visit our GRIEF COUNSELING pages to learn more.

Life-enriching Therapies

Massage Therapy:

Hospice massage provides physical, emotional, and spiritual support for those coping with life-limiting illness. This therapy combines medical knowledge and compassionate care, provided by a licensed therapist, to improve quality of life. Every visit is customized to meet the unique needs of our patient providing the simple, yet dramatic, therapeutic effects of touch.

Patients generally report better pain control and increased quality of life after receiving hospice massage. Less medication is one of the great benefits of massage therapy and this is a strong testament to the type of work we do and the results we can achieve.

Benefits of Massage Therapy include:

• A decrease in emotional distress

• Reduced anxiety

• Reduced pain, nausea, and muscle tension

• Improvements in circulation

• Improved digestion

• Pressure wound prevention

• Promote lymph flow

Music Therapy:

Music Therapy is more than entertainment; it is clinical and evidence-based. Music therapy is provided by board-certified music therapists to assist in symptom management and emotional support in conjunction with the interdisciplinary team.

Visits from our music therapists may include listening to live music you like, reminiscing, writing a song, playing instruments, creating a legacy gift, or learning music-assisted relaxation skills.

Music therapy can help people: 

• Manage pain and anxiety

• Reminisce

• Improve quality of life

• Feel less isolated

• Connect with loved ones

• Express emotions

Animal-assisted Therapy:

Animal-assisted therapy in the hospice setting uses the natural bond between humans and animals to provide comfort, peace, and soothing companionship to terminally ill patients.

Interactions between patients and animals promote activity, conversation, and emotional connection.

The bond that humans share with pets results in very positive effects:

• Reduced physical pain

• Reduced blood pressure

• Improved heart rate

• Increased levels of overall comfort

• Reduced anxiety

• Increased feelings of relaxation

• An improved outlook on life

Simply put, the goal of every Horizon Hospice team member is to help individuals live their life as they desire during the disease process. We respect your autonomy and meet you where you’re at, providing all the physical, spiritual and emotional support you need while honoring your goals and wishes. We understand how important and precious this remaining time is and truly consider it a privilege to assist patients and their families.