At Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care, our patients’ comfort and care is our most important priority. Our focus is bringing them the highest quality of life; profits and corporate-mindset aren’t what run our agency.
This is the vision and the dream that led our owner and founder, Susan Compton, to open her own hospice agency and start this organization. Before founding Ardent, Susan worked for the hospice department in a local hospital and gained a deep appreciation for connecting with patients in their time of need. When that hospital closed down its hospice service, she decided to open her own and continue helping patients and their families during their most vulnerable time of life.
From its beginning, Ardent has always had a direct background of patient-centered care. Here are just five of the ways we put patients first and go above and beyond to make sure they’re comfortable during their final days.
The care we provide is personalized to each patient.
At Ardent, we know that each patient has his or her own circumstances, comfort levels, and emotional needs. This is why we personalize our care to meet whatever challenge that patient is facing. Our nurses and staff take the time to get to know patients and their families individually so we can provide the care and services to bring them a deeper level of peace of mind and comfort while they’re on their end of life journey.
Our nurses care about patients beyond just fulfilling their jobs.
To put it simply, our nurses and staff are personally invested in each patient we care for. An Ardent team member—whether it be a nurse, social worker, health aide, spiritual counselor, or volunteer—visits the patient in the comfort of their own home several times a week, so we begin to play an integral role in their lives and really do become a part of their family. Often, when we lose a patient, our nurses and team go through their own period of grief, because we develop such a close bond and level of companionship with them. Becoming a support system and extended family to patients and their families is a part of our job that we take seriously.
Our patients and families have access to a nurse or team member at all times.
While Medicare requires every hospice to be available to patients and families 24/7, Ardent goes above and beyond by making sure they always reach a live person any time they call us. We know that when families are trying to contact us, it’s because they’re worried or facing an emergency, which is why we never direct them to an automated system or answering machine. If a family calls during business hours, they’ll reach a knowledgeable team member at the location they’re calling, and all after-hour calls are transferred directly to our owner, Susan’s, cell phone. Families can rest assured they can get answers no matter what time of day or night.
We don’t say no to antibiotics or durable medical equipment.
We are one of the few agencies that will provide antibiotics to patients on hospice care. Often, antibiotics can be costly and they’re seen solely as a curative measure (and thus reserved for palliative patients and not hospice). At Ardent, we see things a little differently, however. For instance, antibiotics can be used for something as simple as treating a UTI, which can be incredibly excruciating to patients. So with our years of experience, we’ve come to learn that antibiotics are a key tool in providing comfort to patients and keeping them out of pain.
Similar to medications, durable medical equipment (DME)—like special mattresses needed for wound care, wheelchairs, or breathing machines—can be extremely expensive. We believe that the better supplies and equipment patients are given, the more likely they are to be comfortable in their condition, so we make it a point to provide any and all DME a patient needs.
Our patients are wholly supported—physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
Whether it’s hospice services, or even palliative services, we want our families to feel confident in the care their loved one receives at Ardent. Our care goes beyond a medical level; we strive to make our patients comfortable in every aspect of their lives. Our bereavement and spiritual counselors are here to help them navigate their spirituality and questions about death during their final days. Our social workers provide psychosocial counseling and can offer mental and emotional support. And everyone on our team—from nurses to volunteers—is able to provide companionship and act as an extended family when needed.
These are just a few examples why families can feel confident in the services Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care provides. It’s our mission to go above and beyond for every patient and family we work with to make sure they’re comfortable and living a high quality of life during their final days. For more information on how we can help your family, call us at (858) 952-1786 or visit us online to set up a consultation.
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