Mahaska Hospice

The mission of Mahaska Hospice is to provide skilled nursing care and emotional support to persons in the last phase of incurable illness. Focus is on care instead of cure. Nurses are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for hospice patients. The nurses focus on pain management and symptom control.

Social workers are available to help patients and their families with emotional needs, financial matters, advanced directives and “unfinished business”. Bereavement follow up is also available for one year after the death of a patient.

Hospice recognizes the importance of spiritual needs at the end of life. Chaplains work with the patients own clergy to help meet those needs. The hospice chaplain attends the weekly interdisciplinary team meeting to help the hospice team understand where the patient is spiritually.

Other services are available, if deemed appropriate by the hospice team, including a home health aide, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy.

Volunteers are the backbone of Mahaska Hospice. They are trained by hospice professionals and can perform a variety of services to patients and their families. Some of these services include helping with transportation, providing short-term respite care to the family, sitting with a patient, cooking meals and providing emotional support.

Mahaska Hospice is Medicare certified. There is no cost to the patient to receive home hospice services. Anyone can make a referral to hospice by calling the hospice office at 641-672-3260.