| THE HOSPICE…CARE, COMFORT, DIGNITY AND SUPPORT
FOR SENIORS SEEKING HOSPICE SERVICES
Residents of the Abramson Center for Jewish Life experiencing a serious illness receive palliative (comfort) care tailored to their needs, with emphasis on pain management and other symptom control. Those residents who have a limited life expectancy due to serious illness, for which they are no longer seeking curative treatments, may be eligible for hospice care, which is reimbursed by Medicare and most private health insurers.
The Hospice of the Abramson Center for Jewish Life provides residents with a complete range of hospice services in the privacy of their own rooms (Abramson Residence) or apartments (The Inn) by hospice staff who are on site. Residents and their families can also take comfort in knowing that the Abramson Center’s hospice program provides care in keeping with Jewish traditions and observances. Residents are eligible for hospice care if their physician determines that they may have a life expectancy of
six months or less if the illness follows its usual course, and that they may benefit from hospice care. Hospice care can continue beyond six months, or as long as the physician certifies that the resident’s condition remains terminal.
Our hospice team, consisting of staff members with expertise in a variety of areas, works with the resident and her/his family to create a plan of care to address her/his unique physical, emotional, and spiritual needs with a focus on providing comfort and relieving pain.
Hospice care team members include:
- medical director
- nurses
- social workers
- chaplains
- nursing assistants
- dietitians
- physical, occupational, and speech therapists
Trained volunteers also assist by providing companionship, friendly visiting, and respite for family caregivers.
Anyone can refer a resident to our hospice program. Residents and their families may ask a physician, nurse, social worker, or chaplain to make a formal referral request, or may call our hospice program directly at 215-371-1393, or toll-free at 1-888-560-3005.
Hospice care from a Jewish perspective
As a service of the Abramson Center for Jewish Life, The Hospice is inspired by the Jewish view that human beings are created in the image of G-d (b’Tzelem Elohim), each life a sacred gift that is to be cherished and honored in every stage and every hour. Entrusted with the lives of our precious elders, we are committed to ensuring that their last days are filled with the full respect (mora), compassion (rachamim), and honor (kavod) that our tradition requires.
Judaism teaches us to honor life not only by seeking medical intervention for our diseases, fractures and ailments, but also by accepting that eventually the gift of life must be relinquished. In the words of Ecclesiastes, as there is “a time to be born” there will be, inevitably, “a time to die.” When that time comes, we continue to honor life by creating conditions that will relieve suffering, ensure human dignity, and optimize the quality of each remaining day.
As a hospice grounded in Jewish tradition, we embrace the view that even when a person is approaching death, there is always the possibility of healing (refuah). As our nurses focus on relief of physical pain and symptoms (refuat ha-guf), our counselors and chaplains support the emotional and spiritual work of healing (refuat ha-nefesh). It is difficult to face the end of life, but with the support of our hospice team the last months and days of life may be a time filled with great meaning and abundant blessing. It may be a time to reflect on one’s relationships and legacy, a time for forgiveness and reconciliation, a time of acceptance and peace, a time filled with love.
“The Hospice is inspired by
the Jewish view that human beings
are created in the image of G-d
(b’Tzelem Elohim),
each life a sacred gift that is
to be cherished and honored
in every stage and every hour.”
In Jewish tradition we respond to death with the words baruch Dayan Emet, “Blessed is the True Judge,” an acknowledgment that life and death are ultimately in G-d’s hands. The time of death is not ours to decide, but in our hands rests the responsibility and privilege of making this time of sacred passage as comfortable and meaningful as possible for our residents, their loved ones, and all who care for them. This is the special mission of The Hospice of the Abramson Center for Jewish Life.
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