"We Care & We Act" - Aggressive Comfort Treatment
If you need special services for a loved one suffering from a chronic or terminal illness to ensure their comfort and maintain their quality of life, we can help. Queen City Nursing Center is a health facility, serving patients of all ages in the Central Mississippi area. Our professional staff meets your unique needs, with the skills, compassion, and caring you expect. Our facility offer's a friendly and comfortable environment for patients, their family and friends. Patients can be admitted at the request of their Doctor, when their needs cannot be met at home or where worrying symptoms need expert management and one on one care. We believe in palliative care, which focuses on ways to ease pain and make life better for people who are dying and their loved ones. Palliative care means taking care of the whole person, body, mind, spirit, heart and soul. It looks at death and dying as something natural and personal. The goal of palliative care is to provide the best quality of life till the very end of life.

What is Hospice?
When a person has a life limiting disease, the family is faced with the frightening reality of having to say good-bye. This is one of the most difficult and emotional situations a family ever has to endure. It is also one that nearly every family faces at some time, and few are prepared for. To help families in this time of need, Hospice programs and services are used in increasing numbers each year. Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments. Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death. Hospice staff and volunteers offer a specialized knowledge of medical care, including pain management. The goal of hospice care is to improve the quality of a patient's last days by offering comfort and dignity. Hospice care is provided by a team-oriented group of specially trained professionals, volunteers and family members. Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient's pain and discomfort. Hospice deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease on the patient and the patient's family and friends. Hospice offers a variety of bereavement and counseling services to families before and after a patient's death.

Family Support
This comprehensive approach toward health care recognizes that a terminal illness effects the entire family and that emotional and spiritual issues cannot be overlooked. Offering a range of social services to patients and their families to enable them to manage and adapt to the many changes and fears that life-threatening illness can mean. The support is offered to help families understand and cope during every stage of a disease or illness.

The Hospice Team provides pain and symptom control, coordinates care with the patient's primary physician, teaches care giving skills, and offers respite for family members. Social workers offer supportive counseling to help cope with the emotional, social, and financial stresses resulting from the illness and impending loss. Spiritual counselors and volunteers may visit to help the patient and family pray or to talk about their beliefs and concerns related to death and dying. Meeting the spiritual needs of people is integrated with all aspects of Hospice care. Spiritual guidance and counseling is available for every Hospice patient and their families to provide support and comfort.

Hospices Services and Expenses
Patients referred to Hospice when life expectancy is approximately six months benefit most from Hospice care.

Before providing care, Hospice staff members meet with the patient's personal physician(s) and a hospice physician to discuss patient history, current physical symptoms and life expectancy. After an initial meeting with physician, hospice staff meets with both the patient and their family. They discuss the hospice philosophy, available services and expectations. Prior to service, staff and patients also discuss pain and comfort levels, support systems, financial and insurance resources, medications, and equipment needs. A "plan of care" is developed for the patient. This plan is regularly reviewed and revised according to patient condition. Bereavement services and counseling are typically available to loved ones for a year after the patient's death. Hospice care is a covered benefit under Medicare for patients with a prognosis of 6 months or less. This benefit covers all services, medications, and equipment related to the illness. These include: Physician services, Nursing Services, Home Health Aides, Medical appliances and supplies; Spiritual, dietary and other counseling; Continuous care during crisis periods; Trained volunteers; and Bereavement services.

Most states offer hospice coverage under the Medicaid program. Many private health insurance policies and HMO's offer hospice coverage and benefits.

Hospice is offered in the patient's home as well as in Nursing Facilities.