About Hospice Care

Contact Information

Anyone can make a referral to hospice. To learn more or to make a referral, please call (800) 673-5288. Our team will consult with you to determine if hospice care is needed and if so, will coordinate the admission process.

Our Principles

OSF Hospice upholds these basic principles:

• Commitment to making patients as comfortable as possible

• Recognition that dying is part of the normal process of living


• An affirmation and celebration of life that neither hastens nor postpones death

OSF Home Care Services' Hospice concentrates on comfort care and quality of life for our end-of-life patients. Our nurses are trained in pain management and symptom control.

We include the patient and their family in the care plan and provide physical, emotional and spiritual support during this difficult stage of life.  We also provide bereavement care for up to 13 months.

Our Team

This interdisciplinary team consists of:

• Physicians who provide medical director and family physician services.


• Hospice Nurses who provide pain management, symptom control, arrangements for getting medications/supplies/equipment, instructions and support at the time of death.


• Social Workers who provide emotional support, family counseling, help with stress management and assistance with financial issues or funeral planning.


• Pastoral Care who provide spiritual care and funeral services. They also collaborate with the patient's own spiritual counselors.


• Dieticians who provide instruction on food preparation and dietary needs.


• Therapists who provide instruction on equipment, care-giving techniques, assistance with communication, safety techniques and swallowing problems.


• Hospice Volunteers who provide respite for caregivers, meal preparation, companionship, emotional support, assistance with household duties, errands, bereavement support.


• Bereavement Counselors who provide survivor support, individual grief counseling, memorial services and grief support groups.

Other Services

OSF Hospice also provides:

• Individualized care planning which may include an assessment of your physical, psychosocial, emotional or spiritual needs


• Care coordinated among the patient, their family, physicians and hospice team members.


• A focus on palliative (comfort) care goals that are consistent with the patient's choices.


• Available resources for caregivers that include help from professionals, personal care assistants and trained hospice volunteers.


• An After Hours Triage program that allows patients and physicians immediate and direct contact with a nurse, as well as 24/7 on-call nurses for home visits, if needed.


• Short-term hospitalization, if needed, to control symptoms (under the Hospice benefit and managed by Hospice) or for family respite.


• Respite care in a facility when family needs a break to provide short-term caregiver relief (paid for by Hospice benefit)


• Bereavement services for a patient's family for up to 13 months


• Payment/coverage for medications, supplies and equipment related to the patient's illness


• Free educational in-services provided by leaders in hospice. Topics can range from hospice overviews to Advance Care Planning. These are available by request and can be done anywhere in the local community (church groups, nursing homes, professional organizations).