Dedicated Care

Good Shepherd Hospice's team of professionals, caregivers and trained volunteers are dedicated to providing medical, emotional and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones. Our team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide you with help and support as well as answer any questions.

Hospice vs. Palliative Care: What’s the Difference?

Hospice and palliative care share the same goals of relieving suffering and improving quality of life.

Hospice Care

Hospice care is provided in the final stage of illness, such as when an illness no longer responds to treatment or a person determines that they no longer wish to continue treatments, and the person’s life expectancy is anticipated to be less than six months. The control of symptoms and ensuring comfort are the focus of hospice care. Testing and disease directed therapies are usually not continued after hospice enrollment.

Palliative Care

Palliative care services are appropriate throughout the entire course of a serious illness to control symptoms, relieve suffering, and promote quality of life. This care can be delivered at the same time as treatments to cure or slow the progression of the illness. Good Shepherd’s symptom management and supportive care services teams provide this care in the hospital, office and home settings.

Patient and Caregiver Information

Good Shepherd Hospice serves patients diagnosed with serious illnesses in the final six months or less of their life. Hospice care can be provided in the patient’s home, an assisted lived facility, nursing home, or in certain circumstances, in the hospital or a dedicated hospice inpatient center. Care is focused on the control of symptoms rather than treatments to cure or prolong the illness.

Hospice care is holistic. It focuses on the needs of the patient and their family. You will be well cared for by our team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides, nutritionists, volunteers and bereavement specialists.

Patients, loved ones and health care providers are welcome to call our admissions department to begin the hospice admissions process. Our registered nurse coordinators are here to answer any questions you have.

Good Shepherd Hospice provides symptom management and supportive care services for patients with serious illness who do not qualify for hospice, including those with longer life expectancies and those who are receiving disease directed treatments. 

Our interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, and chaplains work with the patient, family, and other medical providers to focus care on the patient’s goals and values, control symptoms, and enhance quality of life. These palliative care services are available at Catholic Health hospitals, in our office based practice or through our home based consultation service.

Call 631-828-7417 for more information about the services we can provide to you or your loved one.

Learn more

Hospice services—including medications and equipment like a hospital bed and wheelchair—are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurances. For patients without insurance, Good Shepherd Hospice may be able to provide care at reduced rates based on financial need. Palliative care services are also covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurances.

You do not have to sign a do-not-resuscitate order to receive hospice or palliative care services. However, we strongly recommend having an advance directive—such as a health care proxy and/or a MOLST form—to identify a person who knows your specific wishes for medical treatment and to document those preferences. A member of our team can help guide you in this advance care planning process.

If you’re caring for a loved one, be sure to take time to also care for yourself and ask for help. Our team can help you find ways to manage your own physical, emotional and social needs during this time and the period of bereavement.

Your hospice and palliative care teams will be your partners throughout this experience by providing you with education and support to help you learn the skills and tasks you need to care for your loved one at home. 

If you need a break, our hospice respite care benefit provides ongoing care for your loved one in a facility for up to five days. Many families, for example, use respite care to attend a family event or take a short vacation.

Good Shepherd Hospice provides comprehensive and accessible bereavement support to families in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

We work with caregivers who do not live near their loved ones. We visit your loved one frequently and can call you regularly to keep you involved in their care. We also support you emotionally and spiritually during this challenging time.