YOLO HOSPICE INC

YoloCares is a non-profit, community-based organization that has been serving Yolo, Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, Placer, and Sutter counties since 1979. It was run by volunteers until becoming Medicare and Medi-Cal certified in 1992. Since then, YoloCares has developed a highly trained interdisciplinary team including physicians, nurse practitioners, an RN nursing staff, LVNs, Masters-trained Social Workers, Spiritual Care Counselors, Certified Nursing Assistants, Bereavement Specialists and a large base of volunteers specially trained in end-of-life care. All these experts work together to develop an individualized care plan for each patient, focusing on the whole person and their family’s needs.

YoloCares is one of only three organizations in Northern California and 30 nationwide to be Joint Commission Accredited for both community-based palliative care and hospice care.

On July 1, 2018, YoloCares merged with Citizens Who Care (CWC), a volunteer-based, community nonprofit specializing in social services and caregiver relief for patients, their loved ones, and caregivers in Yolo County. The combined services of Yolo Hospice and CWC offer the most comprehensive, wrap-around program in the region for patients and their families.

YoloCares remains true to our goal of providing expert and compassionate hospice care, palliative care, bereavement support and public education about end-of-life issues for all people in our culturally diverse community. Yolo Hospice cares for all individuals in our service areas who qualify for hospice, palliative, or bereavement care, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. Yolo Hospice has never denied a patient who needed care, including those without financial resources or health care coverage.

Programs & Services

HOSPICE CARE: When you or a loved one has a life-threatening or end-of-life illness, Yolo Hospice will be there to help manage symptoms and to make each day as comfortable as possible, including both medical and social services needs. Services include:

1. Symptom management.
2. Pain control.
3. Comfort care.
4. Durable medical equipment.
5. Medications and supplies.
6. A physician to coordinate with or serve as a primary care doctor.
7. Regular visits from a registered nurse.
8. Hospice aides to provide personal care, support, and education to patients and loved ones.
8. Social workers to provide emotional support, guidance and education for patients and caregivers.
10. Spiritual Care Counselors to support patient and family.
11. Bereavement specialists to support loved ones through loss and anticipatory loss.
12. Volunteers to help determine patient and family needs and offer support and help, including advance care planning.

PALLIATIVE CARE: The YoloCares palliative care program provides an extra layer of support for people dealing with a serious, life-limiting illness. We are here to help you navigate the often confusing healthcare system, and to support your goals for your own care and life. We also provide caregiver support and relief. Services include:

1. Symptom assessment and management.
2. Facilitation of communication between medical providers.
3. Education and support around living with serious illness.
4. Stress management assistance.
5. Creating a care plan.
6. Supporting informed, empowered decision making for patients and their families.
7. Facilitate family engagement.
8, A Nurse Navigator for care coordination.
9. Advance care planning.
10. In-person visits geared to individual need.
11. 24/7 telephonic support.
12. Volunteer companionship and caregiver relief.

CITIZENS WHO CARE - Volunteer Program: Volunteer opportunities range from engaging in direct patient care and working at the front desk to serving on an advisory board or hosting fundraisers. From the organization’s early start in the 1970s, it has always leaned on the collective goodwill of citizens who care. Some opportunities include:

1. In-home friendly visits with patients.
2. Caregiver relief visits, offering caregivers a much-needed break from the stresses and demands of caregiving.
3. Adult Day Program providing social interaction, activities, meals and entertainment, giving caregivers much needed relief and providing enrichment to our community's frail elderly.

BEREAVEMENT- The Center for Loss and Hope: Bereavement specialists and trained volunteers facilitate groups and family meetings, and provide individual support sessions, home visits, and telephone contact as needed. Bereavement also includes Stepping Stones, a program targeted to support children and young people who have suffered a devastating personal loss. Services include:

1. Individual counseling.
2. Support groups.
3. Workshops and events.
4. Stepping Stones: a special program for children and teens living through a life-altering loss. Note: Stepping Stones utilizes music, art, multicultural activities, individual counseling and group sessions, and serves both the English and Spanish speaking communities.
5. Crisis support within the community. When traumatic events strike the community, Yolo Hospice’s bereavement counselors are on site to assist victims and loved ones through expert trauma counseling and support.
7. Services offered in English and Spanish.

Programs also include Advance Care Planning, targeted medical and social services for individual patients and their caregivers, and collaborative partnerships to offer 360 degree support to our area's most vulnerable populations, including veterans and the homeless.

GALILEO PLACE - Adult Day Program
Galileo Place offers a caring and supportive environment. Participants receive physical and cognitive exercise through group workouts and mind-sharpening games, and most importantly, social interaction and a sense of purpose and community.

Support with managing or practicing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as walking, eating or personal hygiene are available depending on the capabilities of each participant. A nutritional lunch and snacks are provided daily.

A varied schedule of activities is led by specially trained program staff to support those with mild cognitive impairments and limited mobility.

The daily schedule of activities includes creative arts projects, bingo, trivia and other table games, physical fitness activities, music and memory activities, gardening, lunch and snack times.

JOSHUA'S HOUSE
At Joshua’s House, we provide dignity, compassion, and grace, taking the hell out of dying alone and on the streets.

Located in South Natomas, Joshua’s House hosts 15 patients at a time in a warm and welcoming home-like setting. Each patient receives trauma-informed end-of-life care and support that reflects their personal values, goals and individual needs. Hospice care is provided either by YoloCares, a Joint Commission accredited agency, or by one of our licensed health system partners.

When combined, YoloCares' programs offer both comprehensive support and vastly improved opportunities for health access throughout our community.

Our Core Values

Compassion: We work from the heart with care and kindness.

Competence: We maintain high standards, are knowledgeable, skilled and dependable.

Honesty: We honor other’s opinions while being truthful, genuine and trustworthy.

Integrity: We are ethical, fair and just in all of our interactions.

Respect: We appreciate our differences, are tolerant, patient, and nonjudgmental.

We respect the dignity of the individual—including patients, their loved ones, and our employees. We recognize the contribution of every employee and the importance of their own success, the success of the hospice team, and most importantly, of our patients, their loved ones, and our communities. We work hard to set fair work expectations and to communicate them clearly. We want our employees to succeed while working in a healthy work environment.