BackExempla Lutheran's New Hospice: First of its Kind
Article submitted by PJ Jones is Communications Specialist for Exempla Lutheran Hospice at Collier Hospice Center. For more details about the hospice program or facility, contact PJ at 303-425-8000 or jonespj@exempla.org.
Exempla Lutheran Medical Center proudly celebrated the grand opening of Collier Hospice Center last June as the first facility of its kind in Colorado. The freestanding center is specially designed for end-of-life care, with features developed to meet the unique care and comfort needs of hospice patients and families. These include:
- Peaceful, private landscaped gardens
- Wheelchair- and bed-accessible doors and garden paths
- Low windows that offer full views of the outdoors for bed-bound patients
- Abundant natural light
- Chapel and library
- Private lounges and gathering spaces
- Family kitchen and dining area
- Space for complementary therapies, including a massage room and hydrotherapy tub
Exempla Lutheran Hospice at Collier Hospice Center provides a wide range of end-of-life programs and services, including home hospice care and grief support for children and adults.
Located near the main hospital at 3210 Lutheran Parkway in Wheat Ridge, Collier Hospice Center houses 24 private patient rooms to provide compassionate care to terminally ill patients and their families. The center is licensed as an acute hospice care facility. It is not licensed as a long-term care facility, like a nursing home or assisted living facility.
Most people are admitted to Collier for 24-hour care to manage pain and symptoms that have become out of control. Collier is a place where patients are given the types of care interventions they require to make them as comfortable as possible, such as medication, safety education and emotional support. Once the patient's care needs are managed and they no longer require 24-hour skilled intervention, the patient may leave Collier and return to their previous living situation or to an alternative living site.
Collier also features an end-of-life education center for health care professionals and students, as well as a community gathering place for support groups and other events. Having served the community for 20 years, the new facility continues Lutheran's already superb hospice services, and provides a place where patients and families can find solace during an often challenging time.