Hospice of Kankakee Valley - Available Services

More and more people are choosing to stay in the comfort of their home, whether it be their own home, a nursing facility, or a Veterans’ Home; and to live among family and friends during their final months of life. Hospice of Kankakee Valley offers the support to help make this possible by providing the services listed below and additional services if needed. These are paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans, and HKV services are provided to all who are eligible, regardless of ability to pay.

Expert pain and symptom control
Regular nurse and CNA visits
Hospice certified Medical Director consult with patient, family, and patient’s physician
Support and education for the family
Counseling for patient and family
Help with planning a family caregiving schedule
Information and referrals for financial and legal questions
Spiritual support through visits from our chaplain; with the patient’s permission we can also work with the patient’s own pastor
24-hour on-call local nursing support
Volunteer assistance – companionship, respite care (staying in the home so the family caregivers can leave the home or rest), deliveries, and other services
Medications for comfort care of the terminal illness
Supplies and equipment to facilitate care in the home
Referral to additional service providers: privately paid in-home caregivers, Meals on Wheels, and other assistance
Information about funeral planning
Grief support for the family for 13 months following the death of the patient
Grief support groups and presentations for adults, children and teenagers, open to the community

The most common fears people have about dying are the fears of being in pain, of being alone, of being a “burden” to family, of leaving behind unresolved emotional, spiritual and financial difficulties; and of not knowing what will happen during the dying process. The Hospice of Kankakee Valley team can help to address ALL of these fears by providing the support, education and intervention patients and families want.

A person who qualifies for hospice care has, in a doctor’s best estimate, a prognosis of six months of life or less if the disease runs its usual course. Qualifying patients can be of any age and have any life-limiting condition, including, but not limited to, cancer, heart disease, advanced AIDS, liver disease, kidney disease, blood disorders, lung disease, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and general decline.

When a person elects hospice care, he or she has chosen to pursue palliative (comfort) care and seek measures that neither hasten nor prolong the dying process, but keep him or her as comfortable and independent as possible during the final months of life.

Anyone can make a referral call to Hospice of Kankakee Valley with the patient’s permission. The patient or a family member can call for information, and Hospice of Kankakee Valley staff can contact the patient’s doctor to obtain records and make an assessment of the person’s appropriateness for hospice care. Hospice of Kankakee Valley patients remain under the care of their own physician, and the Hospice of Kankakee Valley team works under the direction of the patient’s physician to deliver the highest quality care to patients and families. Call (815) 939-4141 with questions any time, day or night.

“I wish health care at every stage of life could be as compassionate and responsive to patients’ needs as hospice care.”

Early in 2005, Hospice of Kankakee Valley welcomed Lynn McDonald, M.D., full-time Medical Director, to its Interdisciplinary Team. Dr. McDonald will work alongside HKV Part-time Medical Directors Dr. David Debono and Dr. Keith Moss.

As the full-time HKV Medical Director, Dr. McDonald will fill a number of important roles required as hospice and palliative care continues to evolve in this community. While the primary physician will remain at the helm of the patient’s care, Dr. McDonald will be available to support the attending physician with increased communication regarding patient status, as well as with home visits to patients whose disease progression has caused debility to the point of interfering with regular office visits. She can address complex care planning issues, provide consultation for pain and symptom management in the home, or provide documentation needed for Medicare re-certification for hospice care.

She is also able to offer a pre-hospice palliative medicine consultation to physicians for their patients and families at home, in the hospital, in a nursing home, or in the physician’s office; to provide counseling regarding hospice and other care options based on their goals, assist with pain and symptom management, help with family meetings, and advise them in advanced care planning.

Dr. McDonald has been a great asset to physicians in the community who are seeking consultation on matters such as determining prognosis and discussing end-of-life decisions with patients. She can help to make the transition easier from standard, cure-focused treatment to supportive comfort care.

Board-Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine, Dr. McDonald formerly served as Medical Director of the American Heroes Hospice and Palliative Care unit at Dayton Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, Associate Medical Director of Hospice of Dayton, and Associate Program Director of Internal Medicine at the Kettering Medical Center in Ohio. Her experience and expertise in the field of palliative care make her a welcome addition to HKV’s highly-specialized team of physicians, nurses, social workers, Certified Nursing Assistants, chaplain, dietician, pharmacist, grief counselors, and trained volunteers.