NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — For families facing some of life's hardest days, support can make all the difference.
The new Gulfside Hospice Inpatient Center in New Port Richey is designed to be just that. It’s not just for people with terminal illnesses, but a home-like place where loved ones can spend time together without the constant stress of a hospital setting.
WATCH full report by Deiah Riley
“That's really mostly what the desire is from families. They just don't want to leave their loved one and if they cannot be at home for the remainder of their life, and they choose to be in our Gulfside Center for hospice care, then anyone that chooses to be with them can children, babies, animals, and we take good care of everybody,” said Linda Ward, the President of Gulfside Hospice.
There are 24 private rooms with space for relatives to stay overnight as needed.
The center also features several kitchenette areas and private spaces where families can get away to watch TV, relax, and take a break from reality.
“It's just beautiful to see that and allow people to have that time to not have to be focused. Is my loved one being taken care of medically? That is happening so they can just focus on their relationships with their families, their loved ones, friends, and making those memories. Yes, it's beautiful,” said Kathleen Postiglione, COO of Gulfside Hospice.
Outside, there is a butterfly garden, a fountain, memorial benches, and pavers honoring loved ones who have passed on.
Gulfside leaders said the center was built with the community in mind and thanks to Medicare, Medicaid and community support no one is turned away.
“It allows a family not to worry about that, allows the patients not to worry about that, will even take care of their pets and make sure they're they have safe places to be so that people could, you know, pass peacefully, knowing that everything is covered and nobody has to worry about that, and that is a big burden that is relieved, so that, again, that just adds to the peacefulness and the comfort of dying with dignity and peace,” said Ward.
This hospice center is more than a building. Gulfside Hospice says it’s a promise that no family will ever face the end of life alone.
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