| (a) Counseling services must be available to a client
and family to assist the client and family in minimizing the stress
and problems that arise from the terminal illness, related conditions,
and the dying process.
(b) Counseling services must include bereavement, dietary,
and spiritual counseling.
(1) Bereavement counseling. Bereavement counseling
means emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual support and services
provided before and after the death of the client to assist with issues
related to grief, loss, and adjustment. A hospice must have an organized
program for the provision of bereavement services furnished under
the supervision of a qualified professional with experience or education
in grief or loss counseling. A hospice must:
(A) develop a bereavement plan of care that notes the
kind of bereavement services to be offered to the client's family
and other persons and the frequency of service delivery;
(B) make bereavement services available to a client's
family and other persons in the bereavement plan of care for up to
one year following the death of the client;
(C) extend bereavement counseling to residents of a
skilled nursing facility, a nursing facility, or an intermediate care
facility for individuals with an intellectual disability or related
conditions when appropriate and as identified in the bereavement plan
of care; and
(D) ensure that bereavement services reflect the needs
of the bereaved.
(2) Dietary counseling. Dietary counseling means education
and interventions provided to a client and family regarding appropriate
nutritional intake as a hospice client's condition progresses. Dietary
counseling, when identified in the plan of care, must be performed
by a qualified person. A qualified person includes a dietitian, nutritionist,
or RN. A person that provides dietary counseling must be appropriately
trained and qualified to address and assure that the specific dietary
needs of a client are met.
(3) Spiritual counseling. A hospice must provide spiritual
counseling that meets the client's and the client's family's spiritual
needs in accordance with their acceptance of this service and in a
manner consistent with their beliefs and desires. A hospice must:
(A) provide an assessment of the client's and family's
spiritual needs;
(B) make all reasonable efforts to the best of the
hospice's ability to facilitate visits by local clergy, a pastoral
counselor, or other persons who can support a client's spiritual needs;
and
(C) advise the client and family of the availability
of spiritual counseling services.
|
| Source Note: The provisions of this §558.834 adopted to be effective October 1, 2013, 38 TexReg 6628; transferred effective May 1, 2019, as published in the April 12, 2019 issue of the Texas Register, 44 TexReg 1893; amended to be effective April 25, 2021, 46 TexReg 2427 |
