About Calvert Hospice
What is Hospice?
Hospice is specialized care for those facing a life-limiting illness, their families, and their caregivers.
- Hospice care addresses the patient’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.
- Hospice care also helps the patient’s family caregivers.
- Hospice care takes place in the patient’s home or in a home-like setting.
- Hospice care concentrates on managing a patient’s pain and other symptoms so that the patient may live as comfortably as possible and make the most of the time that remains.
- Calvert Hospice believes the quality of life is as important as length of life
When a patient starts receiving care from Calvert Hospice, a family member usually serves as the primary caregiver and helps make decisions for their loved one. Members of the Calvert Hospice team develop a care plan that meets each patient’s individual needs for pain management and symptom control.
Members of the team make regular visits to assess the patient and assist with medical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Hospice nurses manage our patients’ medications and physical well-being. We have on-call nurses available for evenings, overnights, weekends, and holidays. Hospice social workers provide emotional support to patients and families and can often help patients access community resources. Hospice chaplains offer spiritual support and guidance to patients and families. Hospice aides can help with daily tasks when they become too much for caregivers and patients to do on their own. Volunteers provide respite to caregivers in many different ways.
The interdisciplinary hospice team provides:
- Pain and symptom management for patients
- Emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual support
- Medications, medical supplies, and equipment related to the terminal diagnosis
- Education regarding proper care of patients
- Short-term inpatient care when families need it most
- Bereavement care and counseling to surviving family and friends
As of June 14, 2022, Calvert Hospice has become part of the Hospice of the Chesapeake organization. We have joined forces with another like-minded nonprofit hospice organization in order to offer the citizens of Calvert county the benefits of a larger team of professionals who are passionate about serving patients and families, supporting the grieving, and spreading the word about hospice in our local communities. Hospice of the Chesapeake is a regional organization with locations in Anne Arundel, Charles, Prince Georges, and now Calvert counties.
As part of the organizational acquisition the role of the Calvert Hospice Board of Directors changed from governance to an advisory role to the Board of Directors for Hospice of the Chesapeake, Inc. Newly created, the Calvert County Advisory Committee is a collection of individuals who bring unique relationships, vast knowledge and valuable skills to assist in guiding the organization from a local perspective. With a continued focus on serving patients and families in Calvert County, the following individuals have graciously agreed to serve on the committee:
Matt Gambrill
Jan Kleponis
Jolene Lauria
Peggy McKelly
Richard Wilder
John Weigel, M.D.
Additionally, Greg Kernan and Richard Wilder are now members of the Board of Directors for Hospice of the Chesapeake and will serve until 2024.
Read our Annual Reports: 2017 Annual Report 2018 Annual Report 2019 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report 2021 Annual Report
