It’s about living … and Pathways can help if ...

1. you or someone you know is facing a serious illness.
2. you or someone you know needs assistance in coordinating multiple appointments.
3. you would like to visit the Emergency Room less often.
4. you would like to know there is a team of healthcare professionals, just a phone call away, on any day, at any time.
5. you would like to maintain your independence for as long as possible.
6. Or if you would like to have more time for you, your family and friends.

In coordination with the patient’s physician, Pathways is a palliative care program that offers in-home comfort and emotional support services. Pathways provides improved quality of life for those experiencing serious, complex or advanced chronic illnesses that appear to be life limiting.

The Pathways program is a preliminary or transitional program that provides limited case management for an evaluative period until a patient is ready or able to receive the full Hospice program or when the patient no longer needs full Hospice care. Our Pathways staff is professionally trained to monitor disease progression and provides supportive services. They are just a phone call away, on any day, at any time. The Pathways team assists with maintaining a person’s independence which allows most people to have more time for themselves, their families and friends.

Pathways provides assistance in many ways. Here are a few: 

• Provides comfort and emotional support to patients who have serious illnesses and to their families
• Offers home visits by nurses and other trained professionals
• Evaluates, assesses, and coordinates patient’s healthcare needs
• Provides telephone support by a nurse around the clock, seven days a week
• Nurses monitor disease progression or improvement
• Teaches the patient and family about the illness in easy-to-understand language
• Allows patients with advanced disease to seek curative treatments while receiving a limited array of palliative (comfort) services and education
• Offers emotional support by a social worker
• Assists patients and families to choose the most beneficial services available in the community
• Provides palliative care and guidance when the patient and family are not ready for the full Hospice program
• Includes patients receiving home health care
• Offers services to residents of assisted living facilities 

Who is Eligible for Pathways?

• Patient must have a serious, complex or advanced chronic illness or injury which appears to be life limiting 
• Patient must reside, permanently or temporarily, in Lake, Sumter, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Hardee or Highlands Counties. Legal residency is not required.
• Patient must have an attending physician. 

Some individuals who use Pathway’s services improve to the point they no longer require them.

Pathways Palliative Care is a not-for-profit community healthcare program affiliated with Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care and offered as a community service to patients and families. Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care has helped thousands of patients and their families since 1984. Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care makes its services available to all terminally ill persons and their families without regard to age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, diagnosis, cost of therapy, ability to pay, or life circumstances. We do not impose any value or belief system on our patients or their families and respect the values and belief systems of our patients and their families.

For referrals or inquiries, please call 352-742-6809, Toll Free 866-742-6655 or email:  admissions@cornerstonehospice.org.