About Hospice Volunteers in Midcoast Maine
What is Hospice?
- Hospice is an interdisciplinary program of care that provides relief from symptoms as well as emotional, social, and spiritual support to people at the end of their lives.
- Hospice care emphasizes enhancing the quality of life and preserving a sense of dignity.
- Hospice is family-centered care and provides support for the entire family.
What kind of Hospice care is available?
In Mid Coast Maine there are two Hospice programs:
- Community Health and Nursing Services (CHANS)
- Hospice Volunteers in Mid Coast Maine
CHANS is a Medicare-certified Hospice with Hospice trained, medically supervised professionals.
Hospice Volunteers is an independent,
free-standing charitable agency which provides
free, non-medical support::
Hospice Mission Statement
Our Mission: Hospice Volunteers provides caring, supportive, nonmedical services to individuals, families and community organizations coping with dying and grief, as well as education and dialogue within the community about end-of-life issues.
Hospice Philosophy
Hospice Volunteers Center for Grief and Loss in Mid Coast Maine believes that, just as choice is important in the way we live, it is also important in the way we die. Hospice is a resource and advocate for spiritual, philosophical and practical choices for the dying and their families. Hospice began as a volunteer movement. Volunteers continue to be the heart and soul of Hospice. Our focus is family care, bereavement and community education.
- We believe that death is a part of the natural process of living. We focus on maintaining the quality of life, neither hastening nor postponing death.
- We recognize the right of the dying and their loved ones to make informed choices and to have those choices honored, preserving their personal dignity throughout the dying process.
- We recognize that the primary caregivers need as much support as does the dying person.
- We believe the interdisciplinary team approach to Hospice care, including the support of Hospice-trained Volunteers, provides the most comprehensive care for the dying and their families.
- We honor the premise that grief, loss and bereavement are an integral part of the dying process extending beyond the death of the client.
- We believe in active, ongoing palliative care, recognizing the physical, psychological, emotion and spiritual needs of the Hospice family.
- We are dedicated to being a voice in the community about dying and grieving.
- We are committed to serving without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status.
Hospice Organizational Chart
Click here to view chart in PDF format
Am I eligible for Hospice care?
Click here to see if you are eligible
History
Hospice Volunteers: Center for Grief and Loss in Mid Coast Maine started as the Bath-Brunswick Hospice in 1979. It began as a grass roots effort by a group of dedicated volunteers who offered assistance to families caring for a dying member at home. The agency was originally housed at First Parish Church, then moved to the Parkview Professional Building in 1993 and changed its name to Hospice Volunteers. In 1995 a three-year study was conducted by The Coalition for Dialogue on Death and Dying. One of the findings of the study was the need for a "place" where people could go for information. A capital campaign was launched, and Hospice Volunteers moved into its new home on Baribeau Drive in February 2000.