Hospice of the Hills

Although not your home, the Hospice of the Hills Hospice House was designed to be the next best thing. "Home" recalls feelings of warmth and memories of family and friendships, but home is more than just a place. It's a feeling of comfort and familiarity that nourishes the body and soul.

At Hospice of the Hills Hospice House, your comfort is what matters most of all. The Hospice House care team includes 24/7 staff of registered nurses (RNs) and certified nurse aides (CNAs) who are highly skilled in end-of-life care. Other care team members include social services, pastoral and volunteer services upon request.

The Hospice House is a caring, supportive environment for patients and their families. It offers an opportunity to complete life in a comfortable home-like setting. The Hospice House provides a combination of space to ensure privacy - and to also support socialization.

We also offer overnight hospitality rooms free of charge to family members wanting to stay close to their loved ones while they are in the Hospice House. Services available to family and friends include three free meals per day provided by the NARMC Dietary Services and also a snack pantry provided and stocked by our community volunteers and other organizations.

We understand how difficult it can be to learn that you or your loved one needs hospice care. We carefully consider the diagnosis, needs, and condition of each patient. We will focus on optimizing the quality of life and the priority of care then shifts from a curative approach to a comfort approach.

• 24/7 Registered Nurse telephone support and visits
• Care Team Members including Registered Nurses, CNAs, Chaplains, Social Workers, Medical Director, and Volunteers
• Medication & Symptom Management
• Medical supplies and equipment
• Respite Care is provided at the Hospice of the Hills Hospice House
• Grief, Loss, and Bereavement Support

The four levels of hospice defined by Medicare are as follows. A hospice patient may experience all four or only one, depending on their needs and wishes.

Hospice Care at Home

Once a patient has accepted hospice care, they will receive routine care aimed at increasing their comfort and quality of life as much as possible. Routine care may include pain management, symptom management, and emotional and spiritual counseling for the patient and family. Routine hospice care can be provided wherever the patient calls home, whether in a skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility, memory care, or your own home. Care will be intermittent based on the patient's needs.

Inpatient Hospice Care

Inpatient care may be necessary if a patient's symptoms can no longer be managed at home. The goal here is to control severe pain and stabilize symptoms so that the patient can return home, if possible.

Respite Care

Respite (pronounced RESS-pit) care is an occasional, short-term (up to five midnights) stay that provides a much-needed break for loved ones providing care at home while allowing patients to receive appropriate, round-the-clock care in the Hospice of the Hills hospice house.

Residential Care

Hospice of the Hills offers the following additional services above and beyond Medicare-required care programs. These programs are offered due to the generosity and success of our fundraising efforts. Both programs allow patients to receive their hospice care at the hospice house as their new place of residence. Room and Board charges apply. Some patients may choose to spend their final days in an inpatient center as a neutral, safe space to be with family and loved ones. The care team can assist with more information and the payment fee structure.

Imminent Residential Care
For those patients who are actively dying and the family elects to have the patient’s care provided at the Hospice House. Estimated length of stay is a few days to a week.

Intermediate Residential Care
For Hospice of the Hills patients who wish to relocate to the Hospice House for their end of life care. Criteria includes patients presenting with evidence of advancing disease. Estimated length of stay could be a couple of months.

After losing her husband, Glenna Ragan saw a need for hospice care in Harrison. While dining at a downtown restaurant, she overheard two women discussing the same need. Glenna introduced herself to Peggy Witty and Cloteen Cowan, and together they recognized this as an important cause.

Soon after their meeting, the trio began gathering supporters. In 1992, Hospice of the Hills was established as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The initial Board of Directors included Carolyn Thomason, Cloteen Cowan, Kathryn Cavert, Peggy Witty, Pat Andrews, Debbie Andrews, Marie Thompson, Ernestine Smith, Jim Goldie, Betty Breit Barker, John Marrs, Dr. Mahlon Maris, Dr. Joe Bennett, Mary Walling, and Glenna Ragan, who served as the organization's first President. The board worked tirelessly to educate the community and raise funds. In May 1992, the Board requested to become an umbrella organization under North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) in Harrison, which would allow them to bill some services to Medicare, better serving patients. On Thursday, August 20, 1992, the NARMC board approved Hospice of the Hills joining the hospital under the Home Health division. On May 28, 1993, Hospice of the Hills accepted its first patient.

Local Hospice volunteers began to discover terminally ill people living in appalling conditions throughout the rural area. In one instance, a volunteer found a dying woman living alone in rural Arkansas with no running water or electricity. Another was in severe pain because her drug-addicted son was stealing her pain medication. In 2005, Hospice volunteers appealed to the community for help, which resulted in a remarkable response. A local businessman was asked to help organize a plan to buy or build a hospice house, and he assembled a small group of people who worked with county leaders.

Boone County donated the land for the current site, and North Arkansas College, which had recently closed its construction class, agreed to reopen it to help build the Hospice House. Twenty-five local business owners were invited to lunch and were initially met with silence. However, one merchant donated a doorknob, and others offered 2x4s, sparking a flood of generosity. Construction was completed on the Hospice House in August 2007, thanks to the community's support. The first patient was admitted in September of the same year. Since then, Hospice of the Hills has continued to grow and meet the needs of the terminally ill and their families. Plans are underway to expand the House.

Hospice of the Hills' philosophy has always been to provide end-of-life care to patients and families, regardless of their ability to pay. Through the community's generous contributions, we have been able to do so for over 15 years.

Memory Bear Program

Individuals experiencing grief need the resources and support to help them during difficult times. Memory Bears are one way to bring comfort and peace to families. Volunteers receive special training to craft the bears from garments once worn by the patient, such as a favorite shirt, sweater or dress, which are then transformed into memory teddy bears by experienced volunteer sewers. Memory Bears are loving and healing- the garment and the urge to hug the bear have brought incredible support.

Bereavement Support Group

Each one of us mourns the loss of a loved one differently. While some attempt to cope with their grief individually, and do not want or need outside assistance, many others seek and find comfort in sharing their pain, anger, depression and other emotions they feel following a loss. The NARMC/ Hospice of the Hills Bereavement Support Group meets every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church Conference Room at 707 W. Central, Harrison, AR. This support group is free to attend.

Volunteers are essential to the hospice program. The volunteers perform a variety of duties and must complete a training program designed to prepare them for involvement with the hospice patients and their families. Volunteers take pride in listening to the patient and family’s concerns to provide a comforting and supportive presence. Volunteers keep in close contact with the care team and notify the hospice team of any needs the hospice patient and/or family may need.

Whether it’s providing companionship to a person in the final months, weeks, or days of life, offering support to family members and caregivers, or helping with community outreach and fundraising, the contributions of volunteers are essential to the important work provided by hospice programs. Listed below are some ways our volunteers are able to help:

• In home compassion visits
• Respite sitting
• Memory Bear program
• Clerical work
• Reading/Playing music
• Grief, Loss, and Bereavement Support
• Assisting at the Hospice House
• Military Veterans assisting with the We Honor Veterans Program
• Small Errands and More

Are you a warm, caring individual with a couple hours to spare? Hospice of the Hills is looking for individuals to join our team of volunteers. Your time will not only enrich the lives of our patients and their families but will fill your heart with many blessings. This is an opportunity to make a significant difference in someone’s life.

Learn More

What is Hospice?

Hospice is a special kind of care designed to provide sensitivity and support for people in the final phases of a terminal illness. The hospice goal is to enable patients to carry on an alert, pain-free life, as much as possible so that their last days may be spent with dignity where they choose to receive care, often in their own home or the home of family members. The focus of hospice care is to improve the quality of life as the disease runs its natural and expected course without further treatment.

How does Hospice work?

Hospice services are available to those who can no longer benefit or elect to continue seeking care from curative treatment options. A terminal prognosis of a life expectancy of six months or less must be determined by a physician, as the illness should follow its predicted course. Services are provided by a care team of trained medical professionals – physicians, nurses, social workers, and aides. Added care team members are a chaplain and volunteers. The care team has been established to provide medical care and support services not only to the patient but to the patient’s family, loved ones, and caregivers.

How does Hospice differ from other types of healthcare?

The focus of hospice care is on living with dignity and optimizing the quality of life, not the quantity. The priority of care shifts from a curative approach to maximizing the very best quality of life possible. Hospice is comfort care where the focus shifts to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and their families.

Does Hospice hasten death?

Many hospice patients do pass away within hospice care, and this likely explains how this misconception came to be. But the truth is, that hospice care does not speed up death. Those who employ hospice care may live longer than those who choose not to use hospice services. Hospice does not speed up or slow down the dying process. Hospice provides presence and specialized knowledge during the dying process.

How do I know if my loved one is eligible for Hospice services?

Medicare requires a Certificate of Terminal Illness (CTI) from the physician stating why your loved one’s life expectancy is thought to be six months or less based on their current trajectory of disease if it continues to run its natural and expected course. Other qualifications include if your loved one is choosing to decline further treatments or hospitalizations. These criteria in combination with disease-specific indicators are to be considered by your doctor.

Does Hospice mean giving up hope?

When faced with a terminal illness, many patients and family members dwell on the imminent loss of life, rather than on making the most of the life that remains. When medical science can no longer add days to your life, it is the goal of Hospice of the Hills to add more life to your days.

Who pays for Hospice care?

Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance pay for hospice. At Hospice of the Hills, we will not turn away any patient regardless of their ability to pay. Thanks to our Board of Directors fundraising efforts and community donations, including the “20 is Plenty” campaign, any services that are not covered by the patient’s insurance are paid for by these efforts. Hospice of the Hills patients and families will not receive a bill for any hospice services that are provided after the time of admission to service, some restrictions do apply, and the hospice team can discuss those, such as seeking medical care deemed curative.

How does Hospice care begin?

Hospice care can be initiated by family, friends, neighbors, a caregiver, or a member of the clergy. In other words, anyone can inquire and start the referral process. Initiation begins when the request is made to Hospice of the Hills or your physician. If you make the referral, we will call the potential patient's physician (with the patient's permission) to discuss hospice care qualifications. If the physician makes the referral, Hospice of the Hills will contact the family and visit as soon as possible.

More FAQ’s can be found on our Hospice of the Hills Facebook page. Also, you can call and speak to one of our care team members.