This month Grace Care Management is recognizing Silverado Hospice, a San Diego hospice we not only think very highly of but also work closely with in the community. Recently we personally interviewed with the Administrator Jackie Lleverino to share more information on their services with you.
Jackie has lived in the San Diego County since 1989 and is committed to making an impact on the community. She joined the Silverado family with an extensive background in sales and marketing in the healthcare and IT industry. Jackie has been with Silverado since 2007 and is passionate about providing excellent care and resources to the diverse community.
Silverado’s focus is toward enriching the quality of life for their clients, residents, patients, families and associates. They recognize the value of the human spirit and believe that memory impairment and other chronic or acute conditions do not mean the end of a purposeful, rich life. Below Jackie helps answer questions about Silverado and the services they offer, to help us better understand hospice.
Can you describe the general role of hospice and the services that Silverado Hospice offers?
At Silverado we believe that how a person leaves this earth is as important as how they spent their life on it. Our skilled staff sees hospice care as the punctuation at the end of a life well-lived. This inspires a tireless work ethic focused on delivering comfort to our patients, mind, body and soul.
Providing the gift of peace and honoring what a loved one meant to the lives they touched is a profound privilege, so our full-service hospice care includes the following:
• Full-spectrum patient comfort care and pain management
• Care is provided based on the patient’s needs, desires and personality
• Guidance and support for families, including education on the disease process, bereavement support and maximizing quality of life for the entire family
• Care in-home, at a hospital or facilities such as assisted living communities
• We have a nurse, MD and staff available 24/7
• We provide a 7 day MD visit upon admission of a patient
• Petals for Patients program (Trademarked)– delivers flowers to our patients
• Our case managers have a case load of 13-15 patients which allows them to spend that quality time with the patients/families
• Pet Therapy
• Massage Interaction
• Music Interaction
What types of professionals make up the hospice team?
Attending Physician: Oversees medical care and prescriptions to manage pain and symptoms (may also be the medical director)
Hospice Medical Directors: Liaison between the attending physician, patient and family who also provides information and insight into the patient’s needs
Social Worker: Advises patients and families when needed, develops and integrated care plan based on emotional, physical, social and financial needs, and assists with bereavement support after a loved one has passed
Spiritual Counselor: Draws on the beliefs and values of patients and families to cope with the spiritual aspects of illness and loss. Can assist with specific religious needs and lead memorial services.
Volunteers: Offer support for all non-medical needs such as providing companionship and socialization, running errands and assisting with family needs.
Hospice Aides (CNA/CHHA): Provide personal care to each patient, reports any changes in need and offers comfort measures as directed.
RN Case Manager: Responsible for coordinating all aspects of the integrated plan for patient care while overseeing symptom control, pain management and as-needed administering of medications.
LVN’s (Licensed Vocational Nurses): Nurses expertly trained in pain control and symptom management and are supervised by the RN Case Manager.
Do you service patients both in home and also at your own facilities?
We cover all of San Diego from the south border to Temecula. We are in homes, board and cares, Skilled Nursing Facilities and RCFE’s.
How quickly can hospice start service and what is your admitting criteria?
Silverado can do same day admissions and there are different criteria based on the end stage diagnosis. Below are some further facts on hospice:
• Hospice helps people who are terminally ill live comfortably.
• Hospice isn’t only for people with cancer.
• The focus is on comfort, not on curing an illness.
• A specially trained team of professionals and caregivers provide care for the “whole person,” including his or her physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
• Services may include physical care, counseling, drugs, equipment, and supplies for the terminal illness and related condition(s).
• Care is generally provided in the home.
• Family caregivers can get support.
How long can a person stay on hospice?
Hospice care is intended for people with six months or less to live if the disease runs its normal course. If you live longer than six months, you can still get hospice care, as long as the hospice medical director or other hospice doctor recertifies that you’re terminally ill. Hospice care is given in benefit periods. You can get hospice care for two 90-day periods followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods. At the start of each period, the hospice medical director or other hospice doctor must recertify that you’re terminally ill, so you can continue to get hospice care. A benefit period starts the day you begin to get hospice care and it ends when your 90-day or 60 day period ends.
How does Silverado Hospice work with home care companies and Nurse Care Managers, such as Grace Care Management?
Since hospice cannot not always be present at home, we work as a partnership with home care teams made up of caregivers and professional Geriatric Care Managers like those at Grace Care Management. Our goal is to be seamless to our patients and families.
What areas do you service in San Diego?
All of San Diego County and now licensed in Temecula.
What is the best way to contact Silverado Hospice for a consultation?
We can be reached at (888) 328-4558 and can assist the families in getting a hospice order from their physician. This is all we need to get the process started. Hospice evaluations are free and it gives the families a baseline of where the patient is in their illness.
