A Home Away from Home When It’s Needed Most

Everyone deserves to live life on their own terms, especially at the end of life. Hospice care offers patients and their loved ones the choice to decide what matters most. For most people, one of these choices is staying wherever they call home. Center for Hospice Care (CHC) does everything possible to keep patients in their homes where they are most comfortable. However, in some situations, patients need more care than can be provided in the home. That’s when CHC’s two Medicare-certified inpatient units answer the call.

Esther’s House in Elkhart and the Ernestine M. Raclin House in Mishawaka are thoughtfully designed to provide a home away from home for those receiving care and the loved ones who surround them. Complete with family gathering areas, a kitchen, play areas for the younger family members, outside walking areas and warm, welcoming patient rooms, each facility allows for enhanced symptom management while providing comfort for the patient and their visitors. Both units offer 24-hour visitation – pets included – allowing friends and family to be with their loved one when it matters most.

Patients can be admitted to an inpatient unit for a variety of reasons, including pain and symptoms that are too complex to manage at home, and to provide respite care for caregivers. No matter the reason, a discharge plan is put in place immediately. The goal is always for the patient to return to wherever they call home, whether that be a private residence, an extended care facility or a group home. Once a patient’s symptoms are under control and transport is medically feasible, they return home. For respite care, stays are limited by Medicare to five consecutive days. Short-term private-pay stays are also available at both Esther’s House and the Ernestine M. Raclin House. More information is available from the CHC admissions team. 

CHC’s inpatient units help patients stay out of the hospital, drastically lowering admissions and readmissions. Esther’s House and the Ernestine M. Raclin House can be a home away from home when your loved one – and you – need it the most.