ProHealth AngelsGrace Hospice marks 20 years of service to the community
ProHealth AngelsGrace Hospice is marking 20 years of service to the community, helping make the end-of-life experience more comfortable and peaceful for patients and their families.
Located along Highway P in Oconomowoc, on a tranquil site alongside a pond, the 15-bed hospice is a place of calming and peace. The caregivers, volunteers and quality of care make it truly special.
ProHealth AngelsGrace Hospice
AngelsGrace was the first free-standing inpatient hospice facility in Waukesha County. Before it opened, ProHealth offered home hospice care, a service that continues to be available today. In 2022, ProHealth added hospice care within its hospitals in Mukwonago, Oconomowoc and Waukesha.
By the end of 2023, AngelsGrace had provided care for a total of 7,413 patients. Admissions are averaging 45 patients each month.
The care team includes 40 people. Offering care and support to patients and their loved ones are a medical director, physicians, nurses, social workers, a bereavement coordinator, chaplains, nurses’ aides and a music therapist. Volunteers also play a vital role.
Hospice nurses have specialized training in symptom, pain and medication management for patients who are at the end of life. They have the skills and sensitivity to help people through end-of-life care and help them understand the experiences that accompany it.
ProHealth Care’s hospice is recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the positive feedback it receives from patients and their families. Patient experience scores, including pain screening and pain treatment assessment scores, are consistently higher than national scores. The program’s latest comprehensive, multi-part CMS quality score is 99.6% – higher than the state and national averages.
Patient services available since the opening of the hospice facility include personal care plans, assistance with routine tasks, emotional and psychological counseling, pain relief and symptom management, spiritual guidance from a non-denominational chaplain, and comfort and companionship from volunteers. Music and pet therapy were added in 2010.
The building includes a great room with fireplace, chapel, 24-hour snack bar, on-site café for the preparation of special foods for patients, and private patios. Space for family members to sleep and shower and a family TV room are also part of the space. A training center is also available for local community organizations to use.
Comfort care is central to a hospice care plan. In addition to medication, it has come to include prayer shawls, quilts, teddy bears, essential oils and other amenities.
Volunteers have been a mainstay for the hospice since it opened. A total of 689 people have volunteered at AngelsGrace since 2004, with 231 currently involved. Volunteer hours totaled 17,998 in 2023.
AngelsGrace is named for Grace Merten, who focused on the need for a local inpatient hospice when her husband Wally was gravely ill in a residential setting. The Walter L. and Grace M. Merten Charitable Trust provided a multi-million dollar gift. An endowment was established to provide additional funding.
The building was designed by Milwaukee's Engberg Anderson Design Partnership Inc. A landscape architect helped design the grounds, trails and gardens. A new patio, pergola, lighting and outdoor fireplace were added last fall.
Patients’ families are an essential part of compassionate care at AngelsGrace. An annual Service of Remembrance honors patients who received hospice care at the facility.
The support patients and families receive plays an important role in people choosing AngelsGrace for care. Care practices, quality data, and communication standards and practices make an impact on patient choice.
Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance policies and many private insurance policies cover hospice care. A ProHealth Care Foundation endowment, additional donor funds and grants help cover operating expenses and care not covered by insurance.
ProHealth provides end-of-life care for cancer, circulatory or heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, dementia and other conditions. Information about hospice care can be found at ProHealthCare.org/Hospice or by calling 262-928-7444.
