But some restrictions have been put in place.
Frederick, Md (KM) Frederick Health Hospice says it will continue to take in patients during the COVID-19 crisis, including those who have contracted the coronavirus. “The patients who are infected with coronavirus,. ones who are approaching the end of their life due to that infection, or because of that infection on top of other illnesses that they have, they are the most vulnerable members of our community,” says Dr. Mary McDonald, the Medical Director of Frederick Health Hospice.
But she says precautions have been put in place to protect patients as well as nurses and aides. “We have limited face-to-face, actual hands-on visits to the nurses and the aides for safety reasons to cut down on the number of visits,” says Dr. McDonald. “But they are still are providing that hands-on care to people”
They will be provided with personal protective equipment when interacting with patients, she says.
So far, Dr. McDonald says, they’re haven’t been a lot of COVID-19 patients entering into Hospice. “We have not reached our peak yet, and we haven’t really seen the biggest part of our surge,:” she says. “So much of what we have been doing up until this time is to put ourselves in a position to accommodate the surge when it comes.”
Hospice is for patients who have been told they have a short time left to live, and their families want them to be comfortable during their final days.
For more information on Frederick Health Hospice, call 240-566-3030.
By Kevin McManus