Partnership Gives Hospice Care to Homeless

UT San Diego, Peggy Peattie, SAN DIEGO, CA, December 31, 2014 –

Silverado Hospice San Diego partners with the Alpha Project for the Homeless to provide end-of-life care to the homeless. In the article, the Hospice San Diego team shares their thoughts on the partnership: 

“Patricia Devlin, Director of Family and Support Service with Silverado San Diego said she welcomed the opportunity to partner with Alpha Project. ‘I don’t think, in San Diego, the dying and ill homeless population is being addressed at all,” Devlin said. “The hospice role is very important to us. We honor that client’s self-determination, as long as it’s legal and ethical… We believe the best way to treat the family and the patient is with a team, so you have a doctor, a nurse case manager, you have a social worker, a spiritual counselor, a home health aid and volunteers.’

‘I didn’t realize how many people were dying on the streets without medical care, without hospice,’ said Heather Davis, RN, Patient Care Manager with Silverado Hospice. ‘It’s sad that our veterans, our elderly and sick are dying on the streets because they don’t know the resources that are out there for them. That’s not something that’s been recognized before.’

‘When you are facing a life expectancy of six months or less, the last thing you need to worry about is where you are going to stay that night,’ said Davis. ‘Really you should be focused on quality of life and maintaining your comfort level. That’s what Silverado Hospice has tried to do with the Alpha Project is come together to provide all those services that you need at the end of your life. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to provide that for somebody.'”

Read the full article here.