Pain Medicine & Pallative Care


		The Jacob Perlow Hospice	Go Back

		Introduction to Jacob Perlow Hospice What Jacob Perlow Hospice Offers Hospice Care in Nursing Homes Deaf Services Project Spiritual Care How to Contact Us

Introduction to Jacob Perlow Hospice
Jacob Perlow Hospice, a program of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Health Care System, is committed to providing specialized care to patients with end-stage disease. Under the direction of Carolyn Cassin, Jacob Perlow Hospice is nonsectarian, not-for-profit, and provides comprehensive care for persons at the end of life, without regard to race, creed, disease, sexual orientation, or ethnic background. Licensed to serve Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, it was licensed and certified in 1988 and has served over 3,900 patient and family units since its inception.

What Jacob Perlow Hospice Offers
A Medicaid-certified hospice, the Jacob Perlow Hospice's services include regularly scheduled home visits by team members to meet specific needs and problems, evaluate the patient's condition and to supervise care; instructions for family on how to manage physical and emotional symptoms such as pain, anxiety or confusion; assistance with the personal care of the patient such as bathing and feeding; assistance with household chores; transportation to and from the inpatient unit, supplies, equipment and medications related to the primary illness; emotional support and counseling for both patient and family; spiritual counseling; short-term care for problems that cannot be managed at home and follow up bereavement counseling for family members after the patient's death.
If hospital care becomes necessary, Jacob Perlow Hospice features the Leo and Rachel Sussman Hospice Inpatient Wing of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center, has a homelike decor, specially trained staff, an open visiting policy that includes children and pets.

Hospice Care in Nursing Homes
If a patient lives in a nursing home, Jacob Perlow Hospice can ensure that the patient can receive hospice care while in the nursing home. Combine the best of two systems of care enhances the patient's life and needs.
For example, patients can receive increased attention from nurses; additional hours of attendant care; special attention to needs such as pain control, skin care and nutritional issues; the emotional, social and spiritual support to deal with challenging end-of-life issues; and, social support through volunteers. Perhaps best of all, patients are made to feel at home in the nursing home and are reassured that they are still an important and active part of their families and communities.

Deaf Services Project
Jacob Perlow Hospice recently established the first major U.S. hospice program for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Made possible through a $75,000 grant provided by the Open Society and its Project on Death in America, Jacob Perlow Hospice-Deaf Service Project provides specialized care to patients with end-stage disease and can assist deaf patients with deaf family members, deaf patients with hearing families, and hearing patients with deaf family members.
This culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate hospice program provides communication access to doctors, nurse, social workers, special therapists and chaplains by way of qualified interpreters. Additional support stems from trained deaf volunteers as well as trained volunteers who can hear and sign.
For more information about the Deaf Services Project, e-mail megan@chpnet.org.

Spiritual Care
Spiritual care is an important service provided by the Jacob Perlow Hospice. Our Chaplains, Rabbi Charles D. Lippman and the Reverend Stephen Harding are committed to working with our patients' own spiritual belief system to provide support to our patients, their families and their loved ones. Many issues come up in the course of a Hospice admission: many patients have found our services helpful to them.
Our chaplains are available to provide the following services for our patients, their families, and their loved ones. Any of them can ask for:

a visit about any concerns they have

a conversation with a family member or friend

any religious material that will be of comfort to them

notification of their Rabbi, Priest, Minister or Imam, or help in finding one

prayers with patients and/or their family

any Ritual or Sacrament they may need

Our hospice is also an excellent source for prayers for the dying.
To request any of these services, please e-mail megan@chpnet.org.

How to Contact Us
To become involved in the hospice program, patients or their family members are encouraged to talk with their physician, who can make a referral. Anyone who would like more information about the Jacob Perlow Hospice can e-mail us at megan@chpnet.org.