For over 30 years, terminally ill patients and their families have been able to call upon the resources of Saint Agnes Hospice to ease the burden of their final months. Founded in 1978 by Sister Raphael McGrath, the Saint Agnes Hospice program was the first of its kind in the San Joaquin Valley.

The program has grown dramatically over the years, providing a full range of care and support services. The goals of Saint Agnes Hospice are to manage symptoms for the patient’s comfort and to support patient and family in their commitment to providing care in a home environment.


The Hospice team includes:

• registered and licensed/or skilled nurses
• licensed clinical social workers
• certified home health aides
• chaplains
• volunteers
• homemakers

The criteria for receiving hospice care

To be admitted to Saint Agnes Hospice, a patient must have:

• a life-limiting condition with a prognosis of six months or less
• a desire for hospice care
• a primary-care person willing to provide/arrange for 24-hour-a-day care
• certification by the Saint Agnes Hospice Medical Director

How does Saint Agnes Hospice operate?

Nursing Care 

A primary nurse is assigned to work with the patient and family to develop a plan of care. Each primary nurse receives orders from the patient’s physician and keeps the physician informed of the patient’s condition. The frequency of the nurse’s visits is determined by the patient’s condition. A nurse is available around the clock for emergencies.

Spiritual Care

Our team of chaplains assists patients and their families with spiritual concerns, either by working directly with them or by helping them get in touch with a spiritual counselor of their choice.

Social Services

Clinical social workers assist patient and family in accessing community resources to help solve practical problems. They can provide emotional support and counseling to help patients and families cope with terminal illness.

Additional Services:

Home Health Aides are available to assist with the patient’s personal care or to teach the family how to provide this care.

Volunteers specially trained in hospice work provide emotional support, caregiver relief, and practical assistance to patients and their families. The Hospice program is always looking for caring volunteers. For more information, please call the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator at (559) 450-5623.

Therapies such as speech therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy and nutrition planning can be arranged when ordered by the patient’s physician.

The primary nurse:

• provides all skilled care in the home
• reviews all medications ordered by the physician
• instructs the patient and family in how to administer medication
• helps arrange for special equipment
  

The Hospice Bereavement Team offers grief support for a year following the loss of a loved one. The program offers individualized counseling and support groups, plus a six-week long Life after Loss grief support workshop.

The Footsteps program, an expressive arts therapy curriculum, helps grieving children learn to deal with their feelings of loss.

How is Hospice care financed?

Saint Agnes Hospice provides care to all patients who meet the admission criteria, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospice services are funded through insurance, gifts from community members, direct payment from patients, and Saint Agnes Medical Center. Care will not be denied to any patient because of inability to pay.

Advance Health Care Directives

The Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 requires that all Medicare and Medi-Cal providers inform patients about their right to make decisions about their own health care. This includes their right to accept or refuse medical treatment and their right to prepare Advance Health Care Directives. 
 
Advance health care directives are documents such as a Power of Attorney for Health Care or an Individual Health Care Instruction. These are legally recognized documents designed to communicate our wishes for medical care when we are unable to decide for ourselves or communicate decisions. Click on the link below for a sample of the Advance Directive form used at Saint Agnes.  

Advance Directive for Healthcare  (pdf document)