Support Services for Patients and Families

Hospice care is about more than nursing visits and symptom management. Living Waters Hospice offers a range of support services designed to help patients, caregivers, and families navigate the practical, emotional, and day-to-day challenges that often come with a serious illness. Learn more about how hospice helps manage pain and other symptoms here.

From social work and spiritual care to volunteer visits, respite care, and caregiver education, our team helps answer difficult questions, coordinate resources, educate caregivers, and provide additional support whenever it’s needed. These services are tailored to each family’s needs and are available throughout the hospice experience.

Social Work Services

A serious illness often brings questions and responsibilities that extend beyond medical care. Living Waters Hospice social workers help patients and families navigate many of the practical, emotional, and logistical challenges that can arise throughout the hospice experience.

For many families, this includes:

  • Helping families understand Medicare, Medicaid, and available community resources
  • Assisting with advance care planning and healthcare decision documents
  • Facilitating family meetings and encouraging open communication
  • Connecting patients and caregivers with financial, legal, veteran, or community support services
  • Providing guidance during difficult transitions and major care decisions
  • Assisting with funeral planning and other end-of-life arrangements when requested

Caregiver Education

Many family caregivers have never cared for a loved one with a serious illness before. Living Waters Hospice provides practical education to help caregivers feel informed, prepared, and more confident in providing care at home.

Education is personalized to each patient’s needs and may include:

  • Understanding the physical changes that can occur as an illness progresses
  • Learning how medications are used to promote comfort
  • Using medical equipment safely and effectively
  • Knowing when to contact the hospice team with questions or concerns
  • Understanding changes in eating, drinking, sleeping, and communication
  • Learning what to expect as the plan of care evolves

Our goal is to help families feel supported, not overwhelmed. By providing clear guidance and ongoing education, we help caregivers focus on spending meaningful time with their loved one rather than wondering what comes next. Learn more about how hospice supports families throughout the care journey here.

Advance Care Planning Support

One of the greatest gifts a person can give their family is making their healthcare wishes known before a crisis occurs. Advance care planning helps patients communicate those wishes clearly, giving loved ones confidence when important decisions need to be made.

Our hospice team can answer questions about advance care planning and help patients and families better understand documents such as:

  • Advance Healthcare Directives (AHCD)
  • POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment)
  • Other advance care planning documents as needed

While we don’t provide legal advice, we can explain the purpose of these documents, answer general questions, and help families understand how they fit into the patient’s overall plan of care.

Community Resources

No family should have to navigate hospice care alone. When additional support is needed, we can help connect patients and caregivers with trusted community resources based on their individual needs.

Depending on your situation, our team may provide referrals or information about:

  • Veteran benefits and support services
  • Financial assistance programs
  • Local caregiver support groups
  • Counseling and mental health resources
  • Faith-based or community organizations
  • Other local services that may benefit patients or family caregivers

If we don’t provide a particular service ourselves, we’ll do our best to connect you with someone who does. Helping families find the right resources is an important part of the support we provide.

Spiritual Care

A serious illness often brings questions that go beyond physical health. Patients and families may find themselves reflecting on faith, purpose, relationships, forgiveness, or simply trying to make sense of a difficult season of life. Living Waters Hospice offers spiritual care that respects each person’s beliefs, values, and individual preferences.

Our chaplains are available to:

  • Provide prayer or religious support when requested
  • Offer a listening ear during times of uncertainty
  • Help patients and families explore questions about meaning, hope, or legacy
  • Coordinate with your own pastor, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual leader, if desired

Spiritual care is available to everyone. Whether faith has always been an important part of your life or you’re simply looking for someone to talk with, our goal is to provide support in a way that feels comfortable and meaningful to you.

Volunteer Services

Sometimes, the greatest gift a family can receive is simply having another caring person by their side. Living Waters Hospice volunteers provide companionship and support that can bring comfort to both patients and caregivers throughout the hospice experience.

Depending on a family’s needs, volunteers may:

  • Visit with patients and provide companionship
  • Read books, letters, or devotional materials aloud
  • Play games, listen to music, or enjoy conversation
  • Sit with a patient while a caregiver runs errands or takes a short break
  • Offer a reassuring presence during quieter moments of the day

Every volunteer is specially trained to support hospice patients and families with compassion, respect, and dignity. While volunteers do not provide medical care, their time, presence, and willingness to simply “be there” often become one of the most meaningful parts of the hospice experience.

Respite Care

Providing care for a loved one can be rewarding, but it can also be physically and emotionally exhausting. Hospice recognizes that family caregivers need time to rest, attend to personal responsibilities, or simply rest and recharge.

When eligible, respite care provides short-term inpatient care for the patient, allowing the primary caregiver to take a temporary break while their loved one continues to receive professional care in a safe, supportive setting.

Respite care may be helpful when:

  • A caregiver needs time to recover from illness or exhaustion
  • Personal or family responsibilities require time away from home
  • A short period of rest can help prevent caregiver burnout

Taking time to rest isn’t a sign that you’re stepping away from your loved one. It’s an important part of caring for yourself, too. If respite care is appropriate for your situation, the Living Waters Hospice team can explain how it works and help coordinate these services as part of your plan of care. Learn more about what services can be provided and how in-home hospice care works here.

Questions About Hospice Support Services?

Hospice includes much more than nursing visits. If you have questions about the additional services available to patients and families, our team can explain what’s included, answer your questions, and help you understand how these services fit into your loved one’s plan of care.

Choose your nearest location below to speak with a member of our hospice team.