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Experienced and Compassionate Care, Wherever You Call Home

Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Cape Cod Hospice & Palliative care provides comfort and support to patients and their families and caregivers when a life-limiting illness is no longer responding to curative treatments - whether in a home setting, assisted living or skilled nursing facility. 

The VNA coordinates transitioning from home health to public health and hospice or palliative care depending upon where the patient is in their unique journey. This continuum of care ensures the patient is being managed from the right team at the right time given their specific pain and symptom management needs.

Patient & Family Resource Guide

Download the VNA Hospice & Palliative Care Guide [PDF]Learn more about the compassionate care offered by the VNA team.

Download booklet [PDF]

Hospice Care

Hospice care shifts the focus to comfort rather than recovery, striving to provide a person living with a chronic, life-limiting illness or disease, with the quality of life they and their family and loved ones hoped for. It addresses physical well-being as well as the psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient and their family or caregivers.

Whether in a home setting, assisting living or skilled nursing facility, or short-term, acute inpatient care at McCarthy Care Center in Sandwich, our dedicated team provides a holistic approach to every patient’s journey. Once a hospice benefit has been invoked, patients and caregivers have a choice when it comes to their preferred hospice provider and care location.

Hospice care services may be appropriate when:

  • You are thinking about ending curative treatments
  • You are diagnosed with a condition such as heart failure, COPD, end-stage renal disease, dementia, cancer, or stroke and your illness is at a life-limiting stage
  • Your symptoms are becoming harder to manage
  • You are spending more time in the hospital, with less time between hospitalizations
  • Your main priority is comfort and relief from pain or other symptoms

Palliative Care

Palliative care improves the quality of life for those patients with serious illness for whom the end of life is not imminent. Unlike hospice, palliative care provides patients with the ability to continue to pursue curative treatment while also receiving comfort care - providing relief from the symptoms and stress of serious illness. Similar to hospice care, our palliative care team offers a wide range of home-based health care services, giving both patients and their caregivers added flexibility as their symptoms and treatment plans evolve.

Palliative care services may be appropriate when:

  • You are diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke and require assistance with emotional and/or physical pain
  • Your physical abilities are declining and you may require support with daily activities
  • You are frequently admitted to the hospital due to illness

Our Care Approach

Our comprehensive Hospice and Palliative Care services provide a seamless transition to personalized care, meeting the physical, cultural and spiritual needs of patients and families facing a terminal or serious illness, with a focus on:Hospice & Palliative Program Infographic

Empowering Patients

Patients considering hospice care are empowered with the choice to elect their hospice benefit as well as the choice of deciding on a preferred hospice care provider, whether their care will be provided at home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility. VNA of Cape Cod Hospice patients are empowered to maintain control over their care services, allowing them to live their final days with dignity and comfort

Enhancing Quality of Life

VNA of Cape Cod Hospice & Palliative Care improves the quality of life for patients along the continuum of care, whether experiencing a serious or life-limiting illness. From pain and symptom management to emotional and spiritual support, we provide a holistic care approach for patients, families and caregivers.

Supporting Family and Caregivers

By offering comprehensive support to family members and caregivers, VNA of Cape Cod Hospice & Palliative Care reduces stress and improves the overall experience for those involved in the patient's serious illness or end-of-life care.
Our experienced team offers essential guidance, education and emotional support throughout the patient’s’ hospice journey as well as comprehensive bereavement services to adults and children coping with the loss of a loved one.

Family Caregiver & Hospice Team Perspectives

Compassionate, Nationally-Recognized CareJoint Commision Gold Seal

Our commitment to comprehensive, high-quality hospice and palliative care is evident throughout the VNA of Cape Cod:

  • The VNA of Cape Cod is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is Medicare/Medicaid certified.
  • Recognized as the top hospice service on Cape Cod by Strategic Healthcare Program and rated above the state and national averages for quality of care

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the VNA of Cape Cod cares for patients from Bourne to Provincetown and the Islands.