Andwell Health Partners expansion brings options for hospice care in Aroostook county
PRESQUE ISLE – When the announcement of Presque Isle Rehab and Nursing Center was released, I knew my job would end at the time of the facility closure. I didn’t plan to job hunt immediately. However, throughout my decades of service in the healthcare field, I have always felt drawn to hospice care. When Andwell Health Partners approached me with the opportunity to join the team at their new office at 181 Academy Street in Presque Isle, I was excited. I’m born and raised in Aroostook County. I’ve experienced hospice care as a nurse, but also as somebody who supported my mom on her hospice journey. So when given the opportunity to come on board with Andwell and initiate and build a hospice service line for Aroostook County, I couldn’t say no.
Hospice is a misunderstood and beautiful thing. It’s about promoting quality of life, not quantity of life. It’s not about the number of days one has left, but how good we can make those days. It’s about living. When people hear “hospice,” there is a misconception that those services are only utilized when patients are near the end of life. A patient does not have to be actively dying to qualify for that benefit.
Earlier hospice services allows the hospice team to build relationships with the patient, their family and their primary care provider. It promotes continued involvement by that primary care provider, because in all honesty, who knows these people better than a provider who’s been taking care of them for the last 30 years?
Earlier acceptance into the hospice program creates a better patient and family experience. It allows us time to build rapport and trust and allows them to see that we’re not just there to do the required nursing visits and pain/symptom management. We are there to support them emotionally, spiritually, medically and psychologically.
Hospice services in Aroostook county a phone call away
Those interested in receiving hospice services, at home or in an assisted living facility, may call 207-777-7740. The Andwell intake team can answer questions about how to get a referral, and a signed order from a provider, if that is required. Hospice care is a Medicare benefit.
When a patient is deemed eligible for hospice, there is paperwork that needs to be completed, but a nurse will guide them through that process. Because patients and families often think of follow-up questions, we have 24-hour availability – there is always somebody on the other end of the line. If the person who answers the phone can’t help, they make sure that message gets to the case manager or clinical manager in charge of that patient’s care. I joined the Andwell team on Aug. 5, 2024. Since that time, we have worked with several Aroostook families. We’re getting positive feedback, particularly about how well our nurses communicate with patients, families and facilities.
