Mayo Clinic Hospice affirms life and recognizes dying as part of the normal process of living, therefore neither hastens nor postpones death. When hospice care becomes the treatment of choice, there is a shift from curative to supportive care measures. The primary focus at Mayo Clinic Hospice is helping you live as fully and as comfortably as possible.
Dying is a natural part of life. But receiving a diagnosis of a terminal disease doesn't mean you have to quit living.
At Mayo Clinic Hospice, an interdisciplinary team of professionals listens to your wishes and works with you to develop a care plan individualized to your needs and preferences. Specialists and volunteers manage your physical symptoms while tending to your spiritual and emotional needs, as well as those of your family and personal caregivers.
Mayo Clinic Hospice provides care wherever you live — in your home, the hospital, an assisted living facility, a memory care facility, a nursing home, foster home or other location — and is available to people of all ages with both a diagnosed terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less to live.
Mayo Clinic Hospice is a supportive home-based service committed to:
- Delivering individualized compassionate care that respects your dignity and honors your needs and wishes.
- Applying an interdisciplinary team approach to meet your physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.
- Using proven best-practice interventions to promote comfort and relieve pain.
- Accompanying you and your family through end-of-life care and death in the setting of your choice and in a manner that suits your needs.
- Comforting you and your family with individualized bereavement support.
- Providing hope as we care to every individual regardless of need or condition. (No one is turned away from Mayo Clinic Hospice because of his or her disease.)
A team focused on your needs
No matter where you need hospice care, Mayo Clinic will focus a team of specialists on your needs. Depending on your requirements and wishes, your care team may include these specialists:
- Hospice medical director is responsible for the management of the terminal illness and any related conditions.
- Primary physician continues to be involved in your hospice care.
- Nurse practitioner assists with symptom management and makes home visits if needed.
- Registered nurse (RN) patient care coordinator visits regularly and makes ongoing assessments of physical, emotional and spiritual symptoms (each person is assigned one RN coordinator).
- Hospice visiting nurse may assist with medication management, dressing changes, other physical care and emotional support.
- Hospice aide provides personal care, homemaking services and other supportive services.
- Pharmacist is dedicated to hospice, regularly reviews your medications and provides input to manage symptoms to improve quality of life.
- Social worker meets with you and caregivers to assess financial issues, emotional stress, safety of environment and coping skills.
- Bereavement coordinator provides follow-up, support and grief education for loved ones throughout 13 months following death.
- Volunteers are screened and trained by hospice staff to provide a variety of services, including companionship and a supportive presence.
- Chaplain/spiritual care coordinator respects individual beliefs and practices and is available for spiritual, religious support or both.
- Other professionals are available based on your needs, including physical, occupational, speech and integrative therapists, and dietitians.
Medications, supplies and equipment
Mayo Clinic Hospice care specialists work with you to use medications to promote comfort. The registered nurse patient care coordinator collaborates with your primary care doctor to assess medication use and makes suggestions.
If you have any necessary medical equipment needs, Hospice care specialists will ensure it's delivered to your residence. Caregivers will help you get these items to manage care and provide comfort measures.
Contact us
Mayo Clinic Hospice is here for your loved one and for everyone who serves as a caregiver. Call and let us know how we can help.
Rochester office
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Serving the counties of Blue Earth, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Steele, Olmsted, Rice, Wabasha, Waseca and Winona.
Registered nurse available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Office hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Call 507-284-4002 or 800-679-9084 (toll-free), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mayo Clinic Hospice provides care specific to each person's needs. Members of the Mayo Clinic Hospice team visit you where you live to assess symptoms and alleviate them by making any necessary changes, such as adjusting medications. Caregivers also support the family.
Mayo Clinic Hospice provides:
- Physician services
- Nursing care
- Social work
- Spiritual care and counseling services
- Registered nurses, who both visit and are available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Volunteer support
- Dietary counseling
- General inpatient care
- Inpatient respite care
- Medications, supplies and equipment
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy — provided for a limited time, on a case-by-case basis
- Integrative therapies, such as music and massage therapy
- Bereavement Support for 13 months following the death of a hospice patient
Nursing home hospice care
Mayo Clinic Hospice can provide hospice services in any of its skilled nursing homes across our service area. Please contact our office for a list.
General inpatient care
Occasionally, people may begin to experience symptoms (for example, uncontrolled pain, uncontrolled nausea or vomiting, or severe agitation) that cannot be effectively and efficiently managed at home. In these cases, Mayo Clinic Hospice can work with your primary doctor to arrange for short-term hospitalization at one of the following:
- Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus
- Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus
- Lake City Medical Center
- Saint Elizabeth's Hospital
Mayo Clinic Hospice arranges any necessary transportation for such stays.
Respite inpatient care
Mayo Clinic Hospice offers respite care for family members who need a break from their caregiving responsibilities. Respite care can be provided at one of the contracted hospitals or nursing homes, on an occasional basis, for up to five consecutive days at any given time.
We Honor Veterans
To honor men and women who have served our country, Mayo Clinic Hospice is a proud Level 3 Partner of the We Honor Veteran Program. The Hospice team provides the high level of medical, emotional, spiritual and social care that those who have served in the United States Armed Forces deserve.
Team members recognize and honor the hospice patient’s military service through programs like We Honor Veteran pinning ceremonies. Ceremonies are provided under the approval of patient and family and can include anyone the military member and family would like to participate along with the hospice team.
Visit the We Honor Veterans website to learn more.
Mayo Clinic Hospice offers bereavement support from the time of hospice admission up to 13 months after your loved one's death. Bereavement services include:
- Identifying those in need of bereavement support.
- Assessing strengths, bereavement risk, and concerns and needs related to grief and loss.
- Providing basic grief information and support through:
- Written materials, such as cards, letters, mailings, emails and other resources.
- Individual contacts, such as monthly phone calls and in-person visits.
- Support groups.
- Commemorative activities, including Time of Remembrance.
Adult grief support groups
If a significant person in your life has died within the past three years, consider being a part of a six-week grief group. These groups provide a safe environment to connect with others who are grieving, to be understood, and to share needs, concerns and feelings.
Groups are facilitated by trained volunteer bereavement facilitators. There is no charge, but registration is required by calling 507-284-4002 or 800-679-9084 (toll-free) or emailing rsthospicebereavement@mayo.edu.
Summer 2023 grief support groups run from the week of July 17 to the week of August 21.
Grief Connections for children and teens
In the fall of 2023 Mayo Clinic Hospice is launching a new program, Grief Connections. This two-part program is for children ages 5 to 17 and will include:
- Grief events for children and youth. Information coming soon.
- Grief toolboxes for local middle schools. Pilot launches fall 2023.
If you have a child needing grief support or are interested in the toolboxes, please contact the bereavement team at 507-284-4002 or 800-679-9084 (toll-free) or by emailing rsthospicebereavement@mayo.edu.
Contact us
Mayo Clinic Hospice is here for your loved one and for everyone who serves as a caregiver. Call and let us know how we can help.
Rochester office
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55905
Serving the counties of Blue Earth, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Steele, Olmsted, Rice, Wabasha, Waseca and Winona.
Registered nurse available by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Office hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Call 507-284-4002 or 800-679-9084 (toll-free), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Volunteers are a vital part of the caring hospice team. As a volunteer, you bring a personal touch to people with terminal illness and their families. The efforts of volunteers are critical to the mission of Mayo Clinic Hospice.
When you join the Mayo Clinic Hospice volunteer team, you provide services essential to hospice care. You will belong to a health care team that includes dedicated physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains. Your role will offer you meaningful opportunities, such as sharing in individual's and families' lives, loves, tears and laughter. Your caring, dedicated presence will help brighten someone's day and make a difference in individual's lives and in the lives of those caring for them.
To become a Mayo Clinic Hospice care volunteer, call the Mayo Clinic Hospice office at 507-284-4002 or 800-679-9084 (toll-free) to learn more or fill out an online volunteer application. Once completed, you'll be invited to interview with the Mayo Clinic Hospice volunteer coordinator to discuss your interests, availability and experience with death and dying. This will also be a good time for you to ask questions about the volunteer role and responsibilities.
If you are accepted into the program, you will then attend the 16-hour Mayo Clinic Hospice volunteer training. This comprehensive training is intended to increase your understanding of hospice care and provide you with the background needed to feel prepared for your first assignment. Topics will include:
- Goals and philosophy of hospice
- Role of the hospice volunteer
- Personal and professional boundaries
- Vulnerable adult reporting
- Communication skills
- Symptom management at end of life
- How to be helpful to a person in hospice and his or her family
- Death and dying and bereavement
Mayo Clinic Hospice needs volunteers in the following counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted and Wabasha, as well as Goodhue, Mower and Winona.
Donate to Mayo Clinic Hospice
Mayo Clinic Hospice depends upon dedicated benefactors to help people through one of the most difficult times of life. By giving to Mayo Clinic Hospice, you help build the foundation of what sets the program apart.
Your gift helps develop support programs that strive to give people in hospice meaning and perspective. You help their families and the greater Rochester community by building a network of grief support. You directly fund the educational and support materials families receive. And you make possible music and massage therapies that make a difference in the lives of people in hospice.
Your gift truly impacts people's lives.
Give to Mayo Clinic Hospice. (In the "Designate my donation to …" field, select "Other" and type "Hospice" in the "Other Designation" field.)
Mayo Clinic has one of the largest and most experienced practices in the United States, with campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Staff skilled in dozens of specialties work together to ensure quality care and successful recovery.
Find doctors and medical staff:
Mayo Clinic Hospice is the only program in the area locally affiliated with a Palliative Care Program that has outpatient and inpatient services. This means you have access to necessary care, including symptom management, when you need it. This Palliative Care Program also has an accredited fellowship training program (accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) and conducts research to constantly improve care.
Mayo Clinic Hospice is:
- Medicare certified
- Licensed by Minnesota
- Accredited by The Joint Commission
- Provider member of the Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care
- Provider member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
- A nonprofit organization
To ensure the highest quality of care possible, medical directors and doctors in Mayo Clinic Hospice are board certified in hospice and palliative care, and the hospice manager is a master's prepared Nurse Certified in Hospice and Palliative Care.
Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.
Mayo Clinic Hospice will work with insurance companies and will provide medical information required for approval of benefit coverage. The Mayo Clinic Hospice care social worker is available to assist with obtaining financial help if needed.
- Medicare. Medicare Part A covers hospice services. Mayo Clinic Hospice bills Medicare directly for reimbursement.
- Medical assistance. Most medical assistance plans cover hospice services. Mayo Clinic Hospice Care bills medical assistance directly for reimbursement.
- Commercial insurance or self-pay. Many commercial insurance policies cover hospice services. Depending on the insurance policy, you may be expected to pay a portion of the cost of hospice services. Mayo Clinic Hospice Care bills insurance companies directly for services on a monthly basis.
Billing
Mayo Clinic Hospice Care charges are billed to your insurance directly according to set per diem (daily) rates. When related to the terminal illness and approved by Mayo Clinic Hospice Care, per diem rates cover:
- Professional services
- Supplies
- Hospitalization
- Medications
- Equipment
Note that respite care may not be covered under all insurance plans.
We welcome youth ages 5-17 who are grieving the loss of a loved one to participate in Music Therapy. Each session assists youth in the grief journey by helping them express their emotions and develop healthy coping skills.
Sessions are 60 minutes and age specific. There is no charge for the session, but prior registration by March 26, 2021, is required as there is limited occupancy.
This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be held via Zoom. It is facilitated by a board-certified Music Therapist from Healing Rhythms Music Therapy, LLC in Rochester, Minnesota.
Sessions
April 10 and May 1, 2021
- Pre-School-4th Grade: 9 – 10 a.m.
- 5th-8th Grade: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
- 9th-12th Grade: Noon – 1 p.m.
For more information, please contact the Mayo Clinic Hospice bereavement coordinator at 507-284-4002, 800-679-9084 (toll-free) or rsthospicebereavement@mayo.edu.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Mayo Clinic Hospice in Rochester, Minnesota, will not hold our spring Healing Adventures Camp for grieving children and youth. However, we are offering Music Therapy sessions on Zoom. The sessions will be facilitated by a board certified Music Therapist from Healing Rhythms Music Therapy, LLC in Rochester, Minnesota. There will be two sessions each for three age groups.
Learn more about the Music Therapy sessions.