Palliative Bridge Program and Hospice Care

Palliative Care Bridge Program

The Palliative Care Bridge Program is a specialized home care benefit that is staffed by the hospice team. This is for patients who are hospice appropriate and currently declining hospice services or will be appropriate within 60 days.

The focus of the Palliative Bridge Program is symptom management and discussions regarding the patient’s goals of care when facing an advanced illness. Patients receive support through skilled nursing and social work, in addition to other home care services such as home health aides, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Patients can continue to receive curative treatments. When the patient decides to elect hospice care, they keep their same care team they had with the Palliative Bridge Program and also receive additional supportive hospice services.

Hospice Program

Yale New Haven Health - Health at Home, Hospice is dedicated to providing choices, control and comfort to our patients, and committed to supporting caregivers. We offer personal and medical care enhanced by therapies to address all needs ranging from those of the body to those of the spirit and mind.

Hospice care is for when a physician has determined an individual has a prognosis of six months or less; and supports patients and their families from the moment it is determined a cure is no longer an option. Hospice care is not limited to cancer patients, but also meant for those living with cardiac or lung diseases, dementia or other end stage chronic diseases. Once the decision to seek hospice care is made, we work with families to help the patient stay at home, assisted living or skilled nursing facility – wherever you call home.

Levels of Care

Our team will work with you to determine level of care needed:

• Routine care at home: Hospice team members visit the patient’s home/residence as needed to offer services
• General inpatient care: For pain or other acute symptom management that cannot be provided in the home environment
• Inpatient respite care: Provides temporary relief to the patient’s primary caregiver
• Continuous home care: Between 8 and 24 hours of care provided in the home to manage uncontrolled pain or other acute medical symptoms

Hospice Services

Our services include hospice physician services, nursing, home health aides, social workers, spiritual counseling, volunteers, bereavement, therapies including pet, music and art therapy, dietary counseling, medications for comfort and symptom management, durable medical equipment and medical supplies and a variety of offerings such as Reki, and reflexology. We work together with patients, families and caregivers to offer care that is tailored to each individualized needs.

Patients can expect:

• Physical care
• Support of spiritual needs
• Emotional support
• Measures to ensure comfort
• Ongoing bereavement support for families and caregivers for up to 13 months past the point of patient death

Covering Costs

Medicare Part A, Medicaid and many private insurance plans cover hospice care at home, which reduces out-of-pocket expenses.

At Yale New Haven Health - Health at Home, Hospice certain enhancements not covered by insurance – including comfort items and experiences for our patients as well as by individual donors.

Hospice Wish Program

The Hospice Wish Program is funded through the generous donations in memory of the of patients Yale New Haven Health - Health at Home, Hospice have cared for. These donations are used to grant the wishes of our patients and give the families memories that will give them peace and comfort for years to come. From a simple candlelit dinner at home on a wedding anniversary to a trip to the beach to breathe in the salt air that harkens back to youthful summer days, it is our passion to give our patients moments that matter through this donor-supported program.

Donate to the Hospice Wish Program

Service Areas

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice Care