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First and foremost the goal of Peace Hospice is to provide compassionate care for the terminally ill patient and their family in such a way as to bring comfort and meaning to the home environment. Hospice neither hastens death nor prolongs life. It is our wish to support the ill person and their family during the final stage of life.
Hospice care emphasizes symptom management and pain control. Patients and family alike are treated in a holistic manner and encouraged to live life fully. A team consisting of all or part of the following provides patient care: physician, nurse, social worker, dietitian, respite worker, chaplain and home healthcare aides. Others involved in care delivery include our medical director, physical therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, pharmacist, medical equipment specialist, and specially trained volunteers.
The services we provide are dedicated to do whatever is necessary to provide a compassionate, comfortable and caring environment. These include regularly scheduled nursing visits, training of family members in patient care, respite care, medical equipment and supplies, medication, and continuous nursing coverage in home during an acute crisis. Additionally, we focus on the emotional aspect of well being by providing counseling, emotional and spiritual support as well as bereavement counseling.
What may be one of the most wonderful services in the nation opened on July 1, 2002. Peace Hospice of Montana Residential Hospice Facility provides inpatient care in a home-like environment for patients who are experiencing a terminal illness and in need of 24-hour care. The facility provides 12 large private rooms with all the comforts of home. The patient rooms include a regular hospital bed, sofa bed, handicap accessible shower, closet, sink, microwave, and refrigerator, in addition to a small patio area outside each room. The facility also includes a community kitchen, dining room, sun rooms at the end of each of the three wings and several comfortable sitting rooms available for family visiting. A sunny atrium is located in the center of the building and includes a waterfall, bird aviary and garden.
An anonymous gift totaling $7.1 million was given to build the inpatient hospice building, a nearby administrative office building and for creation of a permanent endowment to ensure the program continues.
Although most terminal patients prefer to stay in their own homes, some people don’t have the ability to care for their loved ones at home, and some lack family members to care for them. The inpatient facility will offer comfort, compassion and dignity at a time when that's what matters most. As a home away from home, "this holy place welcomes both tears and laughter."
The facility is located at 2600 15th Avenue South, Great Falls, Montana, south of Benefis Healthcare Skilled Nursing Center.
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