Hospice Caring, Inc.

Hospice Caring, Inc. provides compassionate emotional and practical support to adults, children and families facing life-limiting illness and grief.  All services are provided at no charge. 

Why do we exist?

"A regular hospice helps people to die comfortably, but Hospice Caring helps people to live life to the fullest in the time they have left."  -- family member of patient served by Hospice Caring
Since 1989, Hospice Caring, Inc. has been the only volunteer, non-medical hospice in Montgomery County to offer care, comfort and support to terminally ill patients and their families, and to anyone grieving the death of a loved one.  Our compassionate and highly trained volunteers offer help in homes, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities – wherever the patient is located.  In 50% of our cases, Hospice Caring, Inc. is the only agency on site.
Hospice Caring, Inc. provides practical and emotional support to patients with a year's prognosis or less and to patients who choose to continue curative treatment. We are able to assist patients who are not eligible for a medical hospice due to either their prognosis or their choice to undergo curative treatment.
All of our programs and services are free of charge.

What have you accomplished?

Hospice Caring, Inc. has filled a need in Montgomery County which no other organization has. We have provided support to dying patients who would have otherwise received no hospice support: the unborn, the hospitalized, the indigent, the homeless, those who are not "appropriate" for medical hospice.

A young woman carrying twins asked Hospice Caring for help eight weeks before the twins were to be delivered. She had been told that one twin would not live long enough to leave the delivery room. She needed someone to talk with, someone who would help her make plans for the baptism, funeral service and burial. A medical hospice was unable to offer support because there "was no patient near death". If our volunteers had not been involved, there would have been no hospice help to prepare her for the death of her child. Alhough the death was difficult for the mother, our help enabled her to prepare for the death and make the best possible arrangements for her child and her family.

Our programs and services include:
• Trained and screened volunteer care givers who assist one-on-one with terminally ill patients and their families:
• On-going bereavement support groups for adults grieving the death of a loved one:  Coping with a Suicide Death, Empty Arms (miscarriage/stillbirth/infant death), General Bereavement, Healing Hearts (under 50), Widows and Widowers (nine groups throughout the county).  Individual telephone support is also available.
• The Good Grief Club in county elementary, middle and high schools for students who have experienced the death of a loved one.  The Evening Good Grief Club is also offered for students in grades 9-12.  (22 groups in 2002).
• Camp Caring, a weekend bereavement camp for children ages 8-12 who have experienced the death of a loved one (begun in 2001). 
• The Cottage serves as a meeting place for bereavement groups, book discussions, retreats and monthly caregiver teas.  Our administration offices are located there now as well

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