Hospice Care

Hospice services in Western North Carolina

We ease the stress of managing end-of-life issues by supporting you, either at home or in our facility.

CarePartners, Mission Health's post-acute care provider, offers compassionate hospice services to the Greater Asheville community. We help you manage a terminal illness and get the quality of life you deserve.

End-of-life care we offer

We support your family so that your loved one's final days are filled with respectful care, dignity and compassion, while surrounded by family and friends.

Inpatient hospice center care

At our 27-bed, inpatient hospice facility, Hospice Solace Center, we offer a comfortable and home-like setting for all ages. This specialized inpatient program helps manage acute pain, agitation, respiratory distress or other symptoms causing discomfort.

General inpatient care

General Inpatient Care (GIP), is available for terminally ill patients experiencing a need for symptom management of acute pain, agitation, respiratory distress or other ailments causing suffering. Potential GIP patients must meet hospice eligibility criteria for admission, if they are not already enrolled in a hospice program. The goal of GIP care is to provide care and medication management that is above what could be provided at home, in order to resolve the uncontrolled symptoms that are causing distress.

After becoming eligible for admission, we aim to provide care and medication management above what could be provided at home to resolve any uncontrolled symptoms. If symptoms improve, allowing us to release you to home care, your care team will work with your caregiver to develop a safe discharge plan. If symptoms continue to persist, transitional care may be an option.

Our Solace Center offers the following features:

Chapel with handcrafted stained-glass art
Easy access to natural areas and surrounding gardens, including a gazebo, a labyrinth, visiting space and contemplation areas.
Fully equipped kitchen for families
Large, spacious family room with a grand piano, fireplace, and dining area

For more information on general inpatient care, please call (828)-255-0231.

In-home hospice care

You may want or need to remain at home if you need hospice care, so we drive over a million miles each year to deliver care right where you live.

Our skilled team serves 11 counties in Western North Carolina, operating branch offices in Asheville, Brevard, Franklin and Marion. We offer support for end-of-life transitions, delivering respectful treatment to you and offering supportive care to your loved ones.

Transitional care

Transitional care, or residential care, is a longer-term option for patients who meet general hospice eligibility criteria but who do not meet inpatient criteria. This may occur if your symptoms are well managed with your care plan but you want to remain at our Solace Center (versus a discharge plan to return home, stay with a family member or transition to a facility). We typically offer two beds available at hospice center for transitional care, unless the center has patients requiring higher-level care. There's a daily room and board charge.

If beds are not available, our Solace Center team can discuss your options and assist with nursing facility placement if necessary. If you're not currently enrolled in our hospice program and wish to pursue inpatient opportunities, a hospice nurse will come to you and evaluate your eligibility. If our hospice team confirms your eligibility, we will admit you. Then, we'll discuss care with you, your family, our medical director and our Solace Center team about available placement options. A team member is available at (828) 255-0231.

Palliative care

We aim to decrease and, hopefully, eliminate your pain, minimize other distressing symptoms and reduce the stresses that accompany severe, chronic or life-limiting conditions. Our team provides extra support to align your goals with our services, including handling pain management and medical consultations.

To find out more about our palliative services, call and speak with a team member at (828) 277-4805.

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Kelly's Story

No one should have to face end-of-life decisions alone. CarePartners Hospice offers physical, emotional and spiritual support to patients with terminal illnesses.

Kelly's Story

Other specialty services and programs

We understand your condition may require specialized consideration. As such, we offer solutions through programs rooted in personalized care, including:

Care for adults with disabilities programs — These are home and community-based services covered by Medicare or Medicare that allow those with disabilities to select and hire their caregivers, including family members.
Private duty and companion services — These medical and personal care services are paid directly or through a long-term care insurance plan.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) — These home and community-based programs are designed to allow seniors to receive care and assistance in their homes.

Advanced care planning help

Part of end-of-life planning may involve creating an advance directive. This legal document allows you to give directions for future medical care if you cannot communicate them. Our team offers guidance for two types of advance directives:

Durable power of attorney for healthcare — Also known as a "healthcare proxy," this is a document in which you name a person to be your proxy, enabling them to make medical decisions for you should you become unable to do so.
Living will — This is a set of written instructions that explain your wishes for healthcare, should you develop a condition that disables your ability to communicate.

Need Help with Your Advanced Care Planning? Give the CarePartners Palliative Care Team a call at (828) 277-4805.

Respite care for caregivers

If you're enrolled in our program, your caregiver has access to respite care, a service that gives them a break from their duties. This service is available in one- to five-day increments, and is covered under Medicare, Medicaid and some private insurance plans. If you're currently enrolled in a non-CarePartners hospice program, you can speak to your care coordinator or case manager about scheduling a stay at our inpatient facility.

Instances that may warrant respite care include a caregiver's need for:

Attendance at a family function, such as a wedding or graduation
Recovery from an illness, in order to heal fully
Relief from physical and emotional exhaustion, especially when providing 24/7 care

For more information on respite care, please call (828) 255-0231.

Veterans hospice program

If you're a veteran under inpatient hospice care, we offer recognition for you through the We Honor Veterans program. The recognition program honors you in a ceremony at the CarePartners Hospice Solace Center. You and your family receive parchment certificates with gold seals representing your military service branch. We can also place an American flag on your room door. Other accommodations may also be made by request.

Bereavement services

CarePartners Hospice Bereavement knows that we each have our own way of dealing with the loss of a loved one. The days following a death may be lonely or hard to face. Because each grief journey is unique, we stay in touch with you a few different ways during the months following the death of your loved one, so we can extend our support. Our Hospice Bereavement Services are available to you or your family as you adjust to this loss. We offer support in a variety of ways for individuals and families.

Some of our bereavement services include:

Bereavement services – a way to help loved ones cope with the months after a death. Bereavement staff provide grief counseling to family members and significant others. The staff assist the family in returning to the routine of daily living. Services include grief support, telephone and mail contact, volunteer support, referral to community services and a lending library.
Semi-annual memorial services – a non-denominational program that honors those who have died and acknowledges the loss we feel Individual and group sessions for adults and children available at some locations.

For more information, please plan to meet with our bereavement coordinator or call (828)-251-0126.

Bereavement support groups

We offer a range of support groups in both Asheville and Brevard to help you grieve the loss of your loved one.

All Asheville Groups are held at the CarePartners Solace Center (21 Belvedere Rd, Asheville, NC 28803). For more information about any of the Asheville groups, contact Brett McKey.

Grief 101 – For those interested in our support groups, we recommend first attending this two-session grief education class held on the 1st and 2nd Wednesday of each month, between 1:00pm – 2:00pm. No RSVP required.
Men’s Group – This peer-led group meets at the CarePartners Solace Center on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, between 11:00am – 12:00pm. No RSVP required.
Journey through Grief Group – This closed six-week grief support group is offered quarterly, typically on Wednesday afternoons. Registration is required and participants should first attend both sessions of Grief 101. To RSVP, email Brett McKey.

Brevard Group – Will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month between 2:30pm - 4:00pm, at the Transylvania Regional Hospital Chapel (260 Hospital Drive, Brevard, NC 28712).

For more info, contact Amanda Alexander or call (828) 251-0126

Hospice volunteer opportunities

Volunteering your time with our Hospice team is a wonderful way to make an impact with your service.

What hospice volunteers do

Our volunteers play vital parts in care and provide important services to our patients, including:

Respite specialized support
Socialization-companionship
Light household assistance
Assistance with errands
Task assistance

If you enjoy helping others, consider joining our volunteer team. For more information on how to become a CarePartners volunteer, call (828) 277-4800 or click here to apply.

What hospice volunteers do