Porta Caeli House provides 24-hour, compassionate end-of-life care to guests and families from all walks of life.
What is Porta Caeli House?
Porta Caeli House is what is known as a “social model hospice home”. Social model hospice homes fill a critical gap which is unmet by state and government funding or private insurance, by providing loving care for the dying in the last month of life. Community-supported homes like Porta Caeli House are an extension of the guest’s home, providing 24-hour physical, spiritual and emotional support to the dying individual and their immediate circle.
What type of care does Porta Caeli House provide?
Learn more about Porta Caeli services and amenities
What is the cost of admittance to Porta Caeli House?
Services are provided at no charge.
Do guests have to be Catholic to be admitted to Porta Caeli House?
No!
Does Porta Caeli House provide medical treatments to guests?
Porta Caeli House is not a licensed medical facility, nursing home, or hospice program. The guest’s hospice program dictates the medical care plan and other hospice services.
Who is eligible for admission to Porta Caeli House?
• Diagnosed as terminally ill, enrolled in a local participating Hospice program, and has a life expectancy of one month or less
• Has a signed “Do Not Resuscitate” form
• Guest’s needs do not require care in a hospital or nursing setting, do not exceed Porta Caeli House capabilities
• Guest and designated family caregiver agree on a purpose of admission and plan of care, including length of stay
• Guest and/or loved ones behavior does not present a danger or is disruptive to self and/or others
• Guest weight cannot exceed 250 lbs.
What are the practical implications of implementing the Ethical and Religious Directives (“Catholic teaching”) at Porta Caeli House?
Our purpose is neither to hasten death nor cause patients to linger unnecessarily when they are terminally ill. If a person can be fed, AND can benefit from feeding, it is morally obligatory to feed that person. This moral obligation takes precedence over the person’s advance directive that might otherwise refuse beneficial and life-sustaining feedings. Determination of benefit varies from case to case, and includes medical, personal, and spiritual benefit.
Withholding nutrition and hydration must never be the cause of death. For people within hours or days of unavoidable death, it is often true that they may not benefit from feeding, and the withholding of nutrition and hydration would not be the cause of death.