Palliative Care Support
Comfort, Dignity and a Steady Presence Through Serious Illness
What Is Palliative Care Support at Home?
Palliative care is medical care focused on comfort and quality of life during a serious illness, and it can continue alongside treatment. Doctors, nurses and palliative or hospice teams provide that medical care. What we add is the non-medical part: a caregiver at home for bathing, dressing, meals, repositioning, companionship and the long hours between visits.
Which palliative or hospice team visits depends on where your loved one lives. In St. Johns and Duval counties and on Fleming Island, Community Hospice & Palliative Care, founded in 1979, offers palliative care consultations at home, arranged through the patient's doctor or by calling its team directly. Halifax Health – Hospice serves families in Flagler County, Ormond Beach and Pierson. Under Medicare, the patient chooses the hospice. Our caregivers work around whichever team's visits and follow the comfort plan it sets.
We do not provide medical, nursing or hospice services, and we do not give medications. We bring comfort and company to the person, and room to rest to the family.
Why Palliative Support at Home Matters
Serious illness asks a lot of a household: someone has to cover the nights, the meals, the appointments and the hours when a spouse is simply worn out. A caregiver who knows the routine lets family members be family again, not only nurses.
Families need support too. Community Hospice & Palliative Care offers caregiver resources and grief support, and Halifax Health – Hospice offers bereavement counseling and groups to its patients' families for up to 13 months after a death. When memory loss is part of the illness, the Council on Aging's free Community Care-Giving program in St. Johns County offers assessments, workshops and support groups, in person and online; its dementia line is (904) 209-3674. We can schedule respite hours so a spouse can get to a support group, keep an appointment of their own or sleep through the night.
Our Palliative Care Support Process
We work around the medical team's plan and the family's wishes.
Free In-Home Assessment
We meet your loved one and the family at home, learn what comfort means to them, and note the medical team's instructions and visit schedule.
Written Care Plan
Before care begins, a written plan sets out the hours, the personal care, how to reach the hospice or palliative team, and when the family wants a call from us.
Caregiver Match
A calm, experienced caregiver matched to your loved one's temperament, and the same caregiver each visit whenever possible.
Adjust as Needs Change
Hours can grow from a few afternoons of respite to overnight or 24/7 coverage. Our registered nurse on staff reviews the plan whenever needs change.
Benefits of Palliative Care Support
Comfort-focused help that puts the person first, not the diagnosis.
Comfort First
Gentle bathing, repositioning, favorite foods and a quiet room, done the way your loved one prefers.
Family Respite
A few hours or a full night off, so spouses and adult children can rest.
Works Alongside the Care Team
We follow the hospice or palliative team's plan and tell the family when something changes.
Personal Care with Dignity
Help with bathing, dressing and toileting, given with patience and privacy.
Companionship
Conversation, music, reading aloud, or simply someone sitting nearby.
Flexible Hours
From a few hours a week to around-the-clock coverage, with a phone line answered at any hour.
What Families Can Count On
A home care office at Nocatee Town Center, led by executive director Mariella Sajkowski, with a registered nurse on staff, serving 28 ZIP codes across St. Johns, Flagler and Duval counties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is palliative care the same as hospice?
No. Palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life during a serious illness and can be given alongside treatment meant to cure or control it. Hospice is comfort care for people nearing the end of life who are no longer seeking curative treatment. Our caregivers support families in either situation, alongside the medical team.
How do we arrange palliative care in our area?
Start with your loved one's doctor, who can make a referral. In St. Johns and Duval counties and on Fleming Island you can also call Community Hospice & Palliative Care at 866-253-6681. It offers palliative care consultations at home, and it says Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans cover its palliative care services, though a co-payment may apply. In Flagler County, Ormond Beach and Pierson, Halifax Health – Hospice answers hospice questions at 800-272-2717 at any time of day.
How do families pay for your caregivers?
Our care is private pay, and we accept long-term care insurance. There are no deposits or contracts, and we do not bill Medicare or Medicaid.
Is there an inpatient hospice center near us?
Community Hospice & Palliative Care runs the Anne and Donald McGraw Center for Caring, its own building on the Mayo Clinic Florida campus at 4715 Worrall Way in Jacksonville; a Center for Caring on the seventh floor of Baptist Medical Center South, about 9 miles from our office; and the Bailey Family Center for Caring at 200 Health Park Boulevard on the UF Health Flagler campus in St. Augustine. Farther south, Halifax Health – Hospice built its Ormond Beach Care Center, at 235 Booth Road, for families from Ormond Beach north through Flagler County. All four are open around the clock for hospice patients whose pain or symptoms can no longer be managed at home.
Can hospice give the family a break?
Yes, a few days at a time. For a patient on hospice, Medicare covers respite care: a stay of up to five days in a Medicare-approved hospice facility, hospital or nursing home so the family caregiver can rest. The McGraw, Baptist South and Bailey Family Centers for Caring and Halifax's Ormond Beach Care Center all offer respite stays. Our respite happens at home instead: a caregiver comes for a few hours or a full night, as often as the family needs, and your loved one stays in their own bed. Our care is private pay.
Why Choose Always Responsive Home Care
We provide compassionate, personalized in-home care services tailored to each client's unique needs. With a team of highly trained home care providers available 24/7, we offer peace of mind to families and help seniors maintain their independence and quality of life in the comfort of their own homes.
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What Families Are Saying
Testimonial: The palliative caregivers held our family steady. Their presence was a gift through a season none of us could have handled alone.