VNA

Hospice Care

We’re here when you need us.

One of the most difficult times is the end-of-life journey. And we don’t want anyone to be alone. We offer ACHC Accredited, expert care and heartfelt comfort. We commit to help make Best Days Possible for families.

Hospice care is integrated, person-centered care for individuals facing a terminal illness. A medical director, nurses, social workers, home health aides, clergy, therapists, and specially trained volunteers join forces to deliver comprehensive care, comfort, and support for patients, families, and their circle of loved ones. We free caregivers to focus on sharing the journey, with support in addressing the entire family’s needs. We free the patient from worry about the caregiver’s stress or exhaustion. Families can focus on quality time together while your hospice team ensures faithful management of pain and other symptoms.

As part of our commitment to serving all members of our community, we honor the unique needs of veterans through our We Honor Veterans program. Learn more about how we provide specialized care and support for veterans and their families.

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The Davich Family Hospice Experience

Non-profit hospices provide patients with 10 percent more nursing visits, 35 percent more social worker visits, and twice as many therapy visits versus for-profit hospices.

  • Where can I receive hospice services?

    Hospice services are available in your private home, retirement community, or long-term care facility. Inpatient hospice is also available at the VNA Arthur B. and Ethel V. Horton Hospice Center, based on your choices and medical needs. At VNA Hospice NWI, inpatient hospice care takes place in a facility that is wholly dedicated to hospice care. VNA Hospice NWI is an ACHC Accredited program.

  • Yes. Hospice is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, as well as most private insurance programs.

  • Hospice is available to anyone with a prognosis of six months or less. One of the biggest regrets families have is not seeking hospice care sooner. Research shows that with the support you need and deserve, hospice care can extend life. Take this quiz to see whether hospice care might be a fit for your family.

Arthur B. and Ethel V. Horton VNA Hospice Center Quick Facts

  • What is General Inpatient Level of Care?

    General Inpatient (GIP) is a level of service under the Medicare Hospice Benefit and is designed to provide a short-term, intensive plan of care for pain and symptom management that cannot feasibly be provided in a residential setting.

  • GIP care can be provided in a contracted Medicare participating hospital, SNFs, or a freestanding hospice inpatient center such as the Arthur B. and Ethel V. Horton VNA Hospice Center.

  • A patient who meets the standard eligibility criteria for the Medicare Hospice Benefit and has uncontrolled symptoms that require frequent medical adjustments, skilled nursing observation, or other stabilizing treatments.

  • General Inpatient Care may be indicated when there is:

    • Sudden deterioration requiring intensive nursing intervention
    • Unmanageable respiratory distress
    • Transfusions for relief of symptoms
    • Advance open wounds requiring frequent or complex dressing changes that cannot be in patient’s home
    • Severe agitated delirium with behavior issues
    • Pain or symptom crisis not managed by changes in treatment in the current setting or that requires frequent medication adjustments and monitoring
    • Intractable nausea/vomiting
    • Hemorrhage
    • Uncontrolled seizures
    • Imminent death — ONLY if skilled nursing needs are present
    • It is NOT intended for caregiver respite. If a caregiver is not in the home, or able to help the patient adequately, other arrangements can or should be made.
    • It is NOT intended to address unsafe living conditions in the patient’s home.
    • It is NOT an “automatic” level of care when a patient is imminently dying. There must be pain or symptom management and skilled nursing needs present (intensity of care).

If you are unsure of if your patient is GIP or hospice appropriate, please call VNA Hospice NWI at (219) 462-5195 and we will have a team member provide an evaluation or answer any questions that you may have.

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Education Certificate

VNA Hospice NWI is honored to receive our Education Certificate from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Quality Connections program. Participation in this voluntary program showcases our continuing commitment to providing high-quality, person-centered care to patients and their families.

Online Bill Pay

VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana now offers our customers a secure, convenient, and flexible method of paying their bills through our online bill payment feature.