Whole-Person Care
At Four Seasons, we provide “whole person care.” But what does that mean? Treating the “whole person” means we not only address the physical symptoms the patient is experiencing, but also help alleviate their anxiety and emotional symptoms, in addition to addressing questions about spirituality that often arise at the end of life. In addition, our support of the caregiver and family extends this “whole person” care to really serve the entire family.
In this blog post, we’ll explain what that means and how Four Seasons can support the whole person through a variety of care, including:
- Hospice Care
- Physical Symptom Support
- Emotional and Spiritual Support
- Music Therapy
- In-Home Hospice Care
- Elizabeth House
- Respite Care
- Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care
- Grief Services
- Logistical Support
- Home Care
- Care Navigation
- Advance Care Planning
- Financial Support
How Hospice 
Cares for the Whole Person
Some families have described hospice care support as “the hospice hug.” Because of the whole-person care hospice provides, patients and families feel wrapped in warmth and love. When you are in hospice care, you are never alone. When you enroll in hospice care, we ask what is most important to you, and your goals direct your care plan. Your care plan includes not only physical symptom management, which is taken care of by our Providers and RNs, but also emotional care provided by our Medical Social Workers and spiritual support provided by our Spiritual Counselors as well. Our Music Therapists also provide whole person care by providing therapies that may help with comfort, provide emotional support, and a spiritual connection.
There is a common misconception that the goal of hospice care is to hasten death, regardless of the desires of the patient and family. In reality, Four Seasons provides hospice care on your terms. You ultimately choose your care path while we walk alongside you and your family in those decisions and challenges.
“Hospice care wasn’t just about checking vitals or managing medications. It was about being seen, heard, and loved. The Four Seasons team sat down and talked with us.
They brought encouragement, friendship, and dignity. It was like one big giant hug around the whole family. Four Seasons held our hands, and our hearts, every step of the way.” -Carol and Russel, Children of Hospice Care Patients
Read firsthand how Four Seasons provides hospice care on your terms from the Gordon family.
Physical Symptom Support is an Important Part of Whole Person Care 
Palliative Care
Palliative Care provides additional care coordination and specialty symptom management in earlier stages of serious illness. Many palliative care patients continue to seek curative treatment. Some treatments may cause other symptoms in addition to those of the illness itself. Palliative Care can assist in managing these symptoms while specialists continue to treat the illness. This extra layer of symptom management can improve your loved one’s quality of life as they seek the treatment they desire and need. Palliative Care may be provided wherever you call home, and in some regions is available in our clinics.
Hospice Care
Hospice care improves quality of life as your loved one naturally approaches death, providing comfort care for physical symptoms that can cause suffering at the end of life. Relief from these symptoms gives your loved one both physical and emotional peace. At times, it can even help them to stay present so that they can express their final thoughts and hear yours, bringing further peace and comfort to family members, as well.
Emotional and Spiritual Support Are Also Important Parts of Whole Person Care 
Another part of whole-person care is supporting the patient’s emotional and spiritual well-being. By providing physical comfort care, hospice allows time for and encourages patients and their families to ask questions, have important conversations, and express their final thoughts to one another. Emotional care also includes support for emotional symptoms occurring as a result of physical symptoms, such as anxiety and depression. Our Medical Social workers are trained to provide counseling, and our music therapists also provide support and connection.
At Four Seasons, we believe spirituality is an essential aspect of human experience and a key indicator of one’s quality of life. For this reason, spiritual care support is available for all patients and families connected with our palliative or hospice services. We define spirituality as the way individuals- within their own particular worldview, religion, or culture- experience connection, comfort, hope, and strength. Research shows that spirituality has profound impacts on how one cultivates peace in the midst of hardship, copes with the end-of-life, and adapts to significant health challenges. Spiritual care can make all the difference while experiencing serious illness. 
Your care team (both in palliative and hospice care) includes chaplains, music therapists, grief counselors, and social workers who are equipped to guide patients and their families through their spiritual and emotional concerns and questions, regardless of their worldview, religion, or culture. By providing this type of care, hospice helps families cope with the death of their loved one, while also comforting the patient as they approach the end of their life.
Music Therapy Provides Additional Support for the Well-Being of the Whole Person 
Music is a powerful medium. We are flooded with emotion and memory when we hear meaningful songs or tunes. We depend on music to keep us focused at times and relaxed at other times. We soak up the comfort that familiar music brings to us, whether we are spending time with those we love or are all alone.
As a profession, music therapy intertwines this inherent power of music with counseling skills to provide whole-person care. Music therapy interventions are evidence-based and tailored to the specific needs of each individual patient, family member, and/or bereavement client.
Learn more about Music Therapy in our podcast with guest, Taylor Gass, MS, NMT, MT-BC, Four Seasons Music Therapy Clinical Specialist and Supervisor of Clinical Internships.
Listen to an originally written and recorded song by Taylor Gass, MS, NMT, MT-BC, Four Seasons Music Therapy Clinical Specialist and Supervisor of Clinical Internships, to better understand how Music Therapy helps express the emotions of grief.
In-Home Hospice Care 
When people think of hospice care, they often picture care in a hospice inpatient unit. While a small percentage of hospice patients do need care in an inpatient setting, most receive care in the place they call home. That can be a personal home or apartment, an assisted living or skilled nursing facility, a hospital, a motel, or even a homeless shelter. As previously mentioned, you direct your care plan. Your home is part of you, and receiving care in that environment can further help us provide whole-person care.
Elizabeth House 
While many of our patients do opt to receive care in their home, at times, symptoms can no longer be well-managed in a home setting. So, a stay at Four Seasons’ inpatient unit, Elizabeth House, may be needed. The Elizabeth House at Four Seasons is a home-like environment that provides a comfortable, soothing atmosphere for patients and families to receive whole-person care. Here, our interdisciplinary team can address challenging symptoms and issues that cannot be managed in other care settings. We are able to provide the same services as our in-home patients, including management of physical symptoms, emotional support, music therapy, and spiritual care.
Respite Care to Help the Caregiver
Part of the care we provide at Four Seasons is for the caregiver, extending our whole-person care to the whole family. As part of the Hospice Medical Benefit, caregivers are allowed up to 5 days of respite care. Our in-patient facility, The Elizabeth House, provides overnight respite care based on availability and eligibility. A five-night stay is available for patients who live at home to allow their caregiver to have a break. While here, our respite patients are cared for as closely as possible to the way they are cared for in the home. We strive to follow the same medication, sleep, feeding, and activity schedule that is provided by the caregiver and agreed upon with the care team. It is anticipated that the patient will return to the previous residence once the five-night respite stay is complete. Your Medical Social Worker can help coordinate respite stays and transport, if needed.
Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care 
Pediatric Palliative and Hospice Care is a partnership between you, your child, your existing physicians and treatment team, and our Four Seasons Riversong team. Our goal is to provide quality-of-life-enhancing, whole-person care so that your child can focus on being a child. While some parts of this care are the same as the care we provide to adults, Four Seasons recognizes that treating the whole person requires different approaches when the patient is a child.
When we meet with you, the first question we ask is “What’s Most Important to You?” We listen to your goals, to you, and your child’s wishes, and work with your existing treatment teams to provide additional care that can make a positive impact on quality of life. Our care not only helps your child be more comfortable physically, but also provides emotional and spiritual care. We also support the caregiver(s) and family with training and resources.
Grief Services 
Our care extends not only to the patient, but also to the caregiver and family, even after a patient has died. Our grief services are available to help families navigate the grieving process.
Four Seasons Grief Counselors provide an environment that permits grief to exist so that it can complete its work. We believe that grieving is experiential, not cognitive. In other words, we encourage an active grieving process, rather than one that is simply talked about. Our clinicians are trained in various evidence-based modalities that effectively assist those who experience not only normal, but also complicated grief. With these skills, we seek to provide individualized care to address the unique aspects of each client’s grief. We also provide specialized grief support for children and adolescents through our Compass program.
Logistical Support 
Four Seasons has a variety of services that provide logistical support for the patient and caregiver, such as obtaining durable medical equipment, navigating Medicare and Insurance, and helping coordinate additional resources. Our Medical Social Workers, Care Navigators, and In-Home Aides can assist you and your loved one in many ways. This provides much-needed support for the caregiver and helps to relieve stress.
Home Care
Home Care is designed to help you or your loved one with life’s daily routines, such as getting groceries, transportation to appointments, light housework, and help with bathing, dressing, errands, etc. In supporting the patient in these ways, we care for their whole person while also extending that care to the caregiver. Care is available for as little as one hour a week or as often as 24/7. Home Care is currently provided in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties.
Care Navigation 
Four Seasons’ Care Navigation service provides trusted guidance during the difficult times following the diagnosis of a serious illness. We fill the gap by helping people navigate care options and choices. Our Care Navigators partner with clients and families to understand what’s next to prepare for the physical, emotional, and spiritual changes in the days, weeks, and months to come.
Care Navigation helps to:
- Coordinate care services and communication with and among clients, families, and physicians
- Guide you through Advance Care Planning
- Make scheduled visits and phone calls with you
- Connect you with available resources
- Craft emergency and contingency plans
Advance Care Planning 
Whole person care may also involve peace of mind. Part of this is having plans in place for what happens next. An advance directive is a set of directions you give about the medical and mental health care you want if you ever lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. Planning for the future should be done now, before a crisis or serious illness diagnosis occurs. Every day, people of all ages and their families suffer needlessly because discussions haven’t taken place, and their wishes may not be expressed or planned. Advance Care Planning helps you have discussions, make decisions, and gather the documents needed for what’s ahead.
Financial Support 
Another part of providing whole-person care is assisting with the cost of care for qualifying individuals. Thanks to the generous support of the community through the Four Seasons Foundation, Four Seasons can provide financial assistance to families in need of care who do not have access to other pay sources. We are honored to relieve financial anxiety and stress for those who qualify for our Angel Fund. You can connect with your care team to discuss Angel Fund opportunities.
If you’d like to support the Angel Fund for families in need, you can give online.
