Supportive Hospice Care - When It's Most Needed

Individualized Care Planning  At Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (SNRC) our gentle and supportive hospice care is specifically designed for patients and their family and friends who are facing an end of life situation. Our goal is to reduce both physical and emotional suffering of our patients in the final stages of a terminal illness. Based on the tenet that a patient should die pain free and with dignity, and that a patient’s family and friends also require assistance at this time, we develop an individualized care plan and a support team for each of our hospice patients and those closest to them.    

Our interdisciplinary support teams are formed based on the patient’s needs and input, the primary care physician’s input, the participation of the patient’s loved ones and the patient’s physician. This supportive collaboration, coupled with the on-site hospice services we have contracted for with the UMass Memorial Medical Center, makes possible a nurturing end of life care that results in a more comfortable, happier and more peaceful end of life. With our support, those facing a life limiting illness, their family and friends can enhance their final days together.

Hospice services provided by SNRC include:

• Pain and symptom management
• Physical care including medical and nursing services
• Assistance with bathing and personal care
• Spiritual support for patients and their families
• Education and counseling on death and dying as well as support during bereavement
• Respite care on-site providing temporary relief for family members with caregiver responsibilities
• Assistance with insurance and other financial paperwork
• Coordination with medical services, supplies and equipment
• 24 hour on-call nursing on-site for emergencies

Volunteer Services at the SNRC include:

• Visit and provide companionship to patients and their families
• Run errands
• Reading
• Videotaped oral history recollecting special events and meaningful stories that will be cherished by families for years to come
• Music lending library of tapes and CDs can be brought to the patient at the SNRC
• Music therapy
• Pet visitation