Community Hospice of Dale Medical Center

Community Hospice is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the most compassionate, comprehensive hospice care possible to our patients. Through healthcare professionals and trained volunteers, Community Hospice will provide ongoing physical, emotional, and spiritual support to those entrusted to our care.

Community Hospice provides care to individuals with a terminal illness without regard to age, race, religion, gender, ethnicity, disability, or payment source.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide quality, compassionate, and safe end of life care preserving dignity and comfort to terminally ill patients and their loved ones.

What is Hospice?

Hospice is a specialized form of health care services that provide for individuals who have a life limiting illness and are no longer seeking curative treatment. Hospice care creates the hope and belief that patients and families can obtain physical, emotional, and spiritual preparation for the final stages of life.

Hospice care focuses on palliative, comfort care that has the goal of providing pain management, education, spiritual and emotional support, and bereavement support that attempts to maintain patient dignity and a quality life experience.

What is Admission Criteria to hospice?

Hospice Care is available to an individual who…
Has a life limiting illness in which a physician has agreed that hospice care is appropriate
Pursues comfort and symptom management rather than curative treatments
Is willing to follow a care plan developed by the patient and/or patient caregiver, the attending physician, and the hospice staff.

Who pays for hospice care?

Medicare
Medicaid
Tricare
Private Insurance
Community Contributions and donations
Community Hospice accepts patients based on qualified health needs rather than ability to pay.

What are typical illnesses that are treated with hospice?

All categories of cancer
Most cases of heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, and renal disease
AIDS
Many Neuromuscular Degenerative diseases

Bereavement Services

Community Hospice believes that bereavement support is an important part of the services we provide to our patient's family. We want our families to know that we will be with them through their journey of grief after the loss of their loved one. Bereavement support may be provided through such things as:

A weekly support group to help grieving people desiring a healthy journey of grief.
A monthly lunch meeting for busy and working people who are in need of additional grief support but cannot attend the weekly support meetings.
Regular contact with bereavement personnel through calls, letters, and home visits.
Access to a bereavement coordinator, medical social worker, trained volunteers and other grief support resources.

The Community Hospice Volunteer Program

Volunteers are an indispensable part of the Community Hospice team. Our volunteers are caring people who desire to make a difference in their community and touch the lives of others.

Community Hospice is looking for caring people to volunteer their time in the following areas: patient visits, grief support, clerical/administrative duties, crafts, fund raising, etc. If you are 18 years of age or older and want to be involved in very meaningful activities, please contact the office and speak to the Volunteer Coordinator.



Complete training to become a certified hospice volunteer is provided free of charge.

General Questions about hospice care

Q. How does a person obtain Hospice services?
A. A person who wishes to obtain hospice care for themselves or a family member should contact their physician to request hospice services or by contacting Community Hospice at 334-774-1380. 


Q. Can a patient in the Nursing Home receive Hospice care?
A. Yes, the same services provided to our at-home patients are provided to those patients in the nursing home, or assisted living facilities.


Q. Must I stay home all the time as a Hospice patient?
A. No, we encourage you to remain as active as possible. 


Q. As a patient caregiver, will there always be assistance available to help me in a crisis?
A. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the Hospice team to provide quality care and support for the patient as well as for you, the caregiver.

Q. What other assistance is available to help hospice patients and their caregivers?
A. Physical and Occupational Therapies for palliative needs, dietary counseling, In-Home Continuous Care (available on a limited basis during crisis situations), Inpatient Respite Care, General Inpatient Care (in a hospital for management of uncontrollable symptoms), arrangements for medical equipment and supplies, and pharmaceutical assistance that is coordinated through physician, pharmacy and/or insurance provider.