What is hospice and what can TRU Hospice offer me?
What is hospice? TRU Hospice, a program of TRU Community Care, encompasses specialized, compassionate end-of-life care designed to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs and preferences of people at any age, with any type of end-stage disease. Patients are visited wherever they live, whether that’s in a private residence, in an assisted living community or a skilled nursing facility. Care is provided by a team of professionals (including a physician who is a hospice and palliative care specialist, nurses, nursing assistants, a social worker, a grief counselor and a chaplain) and is individualized to meet each patient’s specific requirements. When your goal has shifted from a cure to comfort, hospice care provides you and your family with expert support designed to ease your burden and improve your quality of life so that every day that remains can be fully lived.
Is TRU the only hospice provider available?
No, other hospice providers can offer care. However, TRU Community Care, formerly called HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, is Colorado’s first hospice and the preferred choice of families and physicians in our region. As your community nonprofit hospice, we are committed to continually enhancing our services in response to your needs. TRU Community Care is certified by Medicare and accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), which was created to help the public identify healthcare providers that demonstrate excellence.
How are you different from other hospice providers in the area?
At TRU, you’ll find more board-certified physicians than any other hospice in our area, a highly trained clinical team, 24/7 support from TRU professionals who have immediate access to patient information, TRU Continuous Care (one-on-one nursing care in the home when symptoms require it), and the TRU Hospice Care Center, which offers hospice intensive care around-the-clock, along with home-like amenities for loved ones. As a result, we’re able to provide the right care, at the right time, to everyone who needs it—regardless of ability to pay.
Who can afford hospice?
Everyone. Because we are a nonprofit organization that is in effect owned by, and here for, the community, our services are available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Medicare, private insurance, and Medicaid cover most patient costs. Philanthropic support enables us to cover the cost of care that insurance doesn’t cover. Please contact us if you have specific questions related to coverage.
Do I need a physician referral?
Anyone can contact TRU Hospice. To begin receiving hospice services, a physician’s authorization is required. Grief support and educational resources are available to everyone in the communities we serve.
When is the right time to contact TRU Hospice?
Today! People often feel they need to wait until there is a terminal diagnosis to learn about hospice, but TRU’s wide range of support services and educational programs are available to patients, family members, and the community at all stages of life. Most families who have faced terminal illness tell us they wish they had called sooner.
Call us when you, a family member, or a friend:
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Would like information about advance care planning, end-of-life issues, or grief support.
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Feels concerned about declining health and doesn’t want to go to the hospital again.
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Is in constant pain or thinks the pain is out of control
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Starts to wonder: “Can we do this alone?”
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Is experiencing an urgent need to call the doctor more often
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Begins to wonder whether treatments to fight the disease are doing any good