Continuum Hospice & Palliative Care provides terminally ill patients and their loved ones with the support and care they need. The hospice team works to enable patients and family members to maintain their dignity and quality of life. Continuum's goal is to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort to those it serves.

The organization strives to empower patients and their families by providing them with the tools, information, and support they need to make informed decisions. Continuum provides ongoing support for family and friends as long as it is helpful. The company is committed to providing the highest quality services, with friendly and caring staff providing the most innovative care available.

That care may include music therapy, pet and equine therapy, and virtual reality (VR) experiences using VR headsets. Many Continuum patients prefer to get hospice care at home. The organization is able to offer VR experiences to those patients because it has equipped its hospice workers with portable WiFi services.

As a result of VR experiences, "patients have been able to visit a hometown they have not been to in fifty years or visit a place across the globe that they were never able to see in person," says Executive Director Jimmie Grimes. Moreover, "virtual reality is also a tool that helps patients with managing pain."

While many people assume that palliative care services are restricted to dying patients, Continuum also offers a pre-hospice palliative care program for patients diagnosed with chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, late-stage cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dementia. Many such patients can benefit from both traditional strategies as well as palliative strategies. Unlike hospice care, which focuses on patient comfort, Continuum's palliative care program does not exclude any type of specific treatment.

A typical palliative care patient would continue aggressive medical treatment while being supported by a palliative care team helping manage side effects and pain. Such an approach allows a patient to remain at home and avoid unnecessary hospitalization. As the disease becomes more advanced, the patient may choose to rely more and more on comfort and palliative care. As the illness progresses further, palliative care may lead to hospice care. Whatever the stage of the disease, the Continuum program provides the best level of care possible and enhances the quality of each patient's life.

"Our people are empathetic individuals who care about the experience others have during the end of life process," says Grimes. He notes that Continuum can help family members and friends who wish to contribute by offering assistance in a variety of ways with patients' wishes for their end of life. Volunteers able to simply sit with those in hospice care are also most welcome.

Continuum moved to Hacienda in 2018 to serve its East Bay patients. More than 50 people work at the Hacienda location. Continuum has more than 100 employees at other locations, which include a facility in Petaluma, for North Bay Area patients, as well as facilities in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington. The organization supports the local community through its nonprofit Continuum Care Hospice Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to raising the funds necessary to help hospice and palliative care patients and their families.

For more information about Continuum Hospice & Palliative Care, please visit www.continuumhospice.com.