Hospice care is a special kind of care for patients and families seeking comfort care and wanting to attain the highest quality of life possible ... to live each day to the fullest. Hospice care is an option when efforts for cure have ceased and the focus is now on providing physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort. Hospice is not a place or a building; it is a concept of care. Hospice may be available wherever the patient is, which includes private homes, nursing homes, and hospitals. Home comes from the Greek word meaning, "where you wish to be." Most people prefer to be at home with their families. Hospice assists patients and families to be where they want to be and to be in control of their care. Hospice services include a team of caring professionals and volunteers with the direction of a physician. Services Include: Physician directed care Intermittent skilled nursing care Home health aide services Home and inpatient care Comfort care for patients and families Counseling and social services Spiritual support Bereavement care - grief counseling for families 24 hour on-call nursing services Volunteer support Hospice includes the patient's primary physician as part of the patient and family care team ... the Hospice team continues to support the patient when a brief hospital stay would be beneficial. Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and many private insurance programs. No patient is refused care, regardless of ability to pay. Hospice is not a giving up of Hope; it is the development of a New Hope - hope to be comfortable and to spend time with family and friends; hope for quality of the last days of life ... to live each day to the fullest. Crown of Texas Hospice, Ltd., 1000 S. Jefferson Amarillo, Texas 79101 (806) 372-7696 FAX (806) 372-2825 E-Mail: coth@crownoftexashospice.com website: www.crownoftexashospice.com