Hospice Chautauqua County, in partnership with the medical community and other health-related agencies, provides physical, psychosocial and spiritual end-of-life support to terminally ill patients and their families to facilitate "dying well" in an environment of their own choosing. These services extend beyond the patient's death to bereavement support for grieving loved ones.

Our Philosophy begins with our understanding that dying is the natural conclusion to the life cycle.

Our Goals are to provide the best possible and most compassionate service

Pain and Symptom Management Hospice nurses are skilled in the assessment and management of end-of-life symptoms, especially pain.

Spiritual Care Hospice recognizes that for many people, spiritual needs or concerns become especially important during at the end of life or in times of illness or loss.

Social Work Social Work Department & Social Work Role in Patient Care Social Workers at Hospice Chautauqua County offer the professional practice of helping people diagnosed with life-limiting illness and their families to understand and navigate the multiple dimensions of living with the illness, dying, and bereavement. Hospice Chautauqua County Social Workers achieve this goal through counseling, advocacy, making referrals, and working to enhance the environment. 

Hospice Social Workers can assist patients & their families in the following ways:

• Advocate for self-determination/autonomy of patients and their families
• Advocate for patients and families needs with members of the Hospice team
• Advocate, act as a liaison, and collaborate with facility staff in hospitals, Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Assist with completion of Advanced Directives
• Assist with funeral planning
• Assist with transitions across care settings: Hospital to home, Skilled Nursing Facility placement, hospitalizations, respite stays, transfers, vacations, etc.
• Assist with problem-solving related to caregiving needs, financial concerns, insurance issues, unfinished business, unresolved family conflict, strained communications/relationships, needed community resources/services, safety in care setting, and goal setting
• Explore & evaluate community resources in order to assess for patient/family needs, inform families of available resources, and complete needed linkages
• Assess for and treat psychosocial pain in patients and families
• Provide skill development and/or resources for non-medical approaches to pain management (relaxation techniques, breath control, music therapy, distraction, self-talk, and reminiscence)
• Utilize active listening skills to provide emotional support/supportive counseling to patients and their families
• Assess for complicated grief and risk factors—provide and/or refer for appropriate counseling services
• Provide education and educational materials on illness, coping with illness, grief, loss, and other end of life issues
• Assist children and teens with coping with illness, grief, and loss and provide educational materials how children and teens manage grief and loss issues
• Maintain confidentiality of patients and their families

Volunteers Patient & family support volunteers assist patients and families in any number of ways including grocery shopping, babysitting, outings with young children, letter writing, reading to the patient, running errands or providing transportation for the patient or family members.

Family Support Services Hospice Chautauqua County offers assistance and emotional support to patients who are still receiving curative treatment for a life threatening illness and others whose conditions stabilize while under our care.

Children
Kids may be especially sensitive and vulnerable to the changes that take place when someone in the home or family is terminally ill. Children may be confused and overwhelmed in an environment where stressed adults have little understanding of their unique needs and even less time to support them. Hospice's staff of social workers and bereavement counselors can help children through this difficult time of anticipatory grief and establish a firm foundation for bereavement support after the death of their loved one.

Comfort Care Kits
These kits for children and teens are filled with items designed to acknowledge and facilitate the expression of grief. A Comfort Care Kit delivered to a child who has just suffered a loss sends the message that someone cares about them and recognizes their unique needs. Kits can be ordered at a cost of $25 each and picked up at the Hospice office or delivered to one of our satellite locations in Jamestown and Fredonia.