CommonSpirit Home Health Mercy

There are several classifications of hospice care available at Mercy Hospice House. Service availability and fees may vary depending on the patient’s insurance.

• Residential or “Home” – Hospice patients and families may choose Mercy Hospice House as their “home away from home.”
• Respite Care – Temporary hospice care that gives a patient’s caregivers a break from the intense demands of patient care provided in another setting, such as the patient’s own home. Respite care at Mercy Hospice House is available to patients for five days out of every calendar month.
• Acute General Inpatient Care – A classification for professional hospice care provided in a hospital or similar facility, such as Mercy Hospice House. Patients must qualify for this level of care by meeting Medicare standards, including having acute symptoms that cannot be managed in the patient’s home.

Regardless of classification of care a patient receives at Mercy Hospice House, all will have access to:

• Care 24 hours a day, as needed.
• Care from hospice-trained professionals who have access to a full spectrum of medical resources.
• Care of physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those receiving hospice services and their families, including access to chaplains and other support services.

Develop compassion and end-of-life awareness by helping to care for those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Volunteers are key contributors to the interdisciplinary patient care team that includes the hospice physician, chaplain, social worker, bereavement coordinator and nursing staff.

Volunteers may choose to:

• provide respite for patient caregivers in the patient’s home
• visit with patients in skilled nursing facilities or the Mercy Hospice House
• engage in bereavement outreach
• provide support at the administrative offices

Thank you for your interest in this deeply rewarding opportunity. Our volunteer commitment is a minimum of one year of service. This commitment includes one weekly shift of 3 hours. Applicants accepted into the program undergo an in-person, two-day training of approximately 16 hours.

Additional training is strongly encouraged during a volunteer’s first year and every year thereafter; an additional 20 hours of continuing education is required. Volunteers must pass a background test, drug and TB screens. Annual competencies (hand hygiene, safety, etc.) and evaluations must also be completed to maintain volunteer status.

To be considered for the next scheduled training, please fill out the volunteer application. Trainings are scheduled based on need and are currently being offered in January, April, July and October.