Carey Short is the director of intake and admissions for .
She says most of the services provided by hospice have been geared toward in-home care for some time.
What鈥檚 changed since the pandemic started is the extra care and precautions the organization takes. Short says there鈥檚 been a big increase in the use of technology to keep patients and health care workers safe.
鈥淭his has definitely been an interesting, different year for hospice specifically. I think we鈥檝e seen the staff seeing more patients, and they passed very quickly after being admitted to hospital services for a variety of reasons and some of those being related to COVID,鈥� Short said.
Those virtual visits are good for keeping patients connected to their families as well. Hospice workers say that鈥檚 not the same as having family members at a loved one鈥檚 bedside, but for in-house patients, virtual visits are an alternative to the isolation that has come with statewide health lockdowns.
