Care First Program: Supporting Families Facing Terminal Illness

At Oasis In-Home Care, we know that being diagnosed with a terminal condition can bring increased amounts of emotional and financial challenges and stress for individuals and families. In situations like these, having compassionate support at home is not just comforting; it can be life-changing. This is why we created the Care First Program, which is a structured financial assistance program designed specifically for families and individuals facing terminal illness or receiving hospice services.

Who Qualifies For The Care First Program?

The Care First Program provides financial support for in-home care services when traditional funding sources (for example, Medicaid, VA benefits, or insurance) may be unavailable, or for those who cannot afford private pay. The goal of this program is to ensure that no family has to navigate a terminal diagnosis alone or go without the care they need due to financial hardship.

This program is designed for individuals who:

  • Have a documented terminal diagnosis
  • Are currently receiving hospice care or have a physician-confirmed life-limiting condition
  • Require private pay in-home support services due to insufficient or lack of alternative funding (Medicaid, VA, etc.)
  • Are experiencing financial hardship

Examples of qualifying diagnoses include, but are not limited to, advanced-stage cancer, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), end-stage heart disease, end-stage liver disease, end-stage renal disease, advanced pulmonary disease, advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s, advanced Parkinson’s, and other progressive neurological conditions.

Services Covered Under The Care First Program

The Care First Program applies to a wide range of personal care and in-home support services. This allows families to focus on quality time and comfort rather than logistics. Services that are covered include:

  • Comfort-Focused Care – supporting physical and emotional well-being
  • End-of-Life Support – providing compassionate assistance
  • Daily Living Assistance – helping with bathing, dressing, meal prep, and other tasks
  • Companion Care – offering social and emotional support for patients
  • Personal Care Support – assisting with mobility, medication reminders, and more
  • Respite for Family – giving primary family caregivers the needed rest and support
Why It Matters

Families facing a terminal diagnosis for their loved one have a lot of decisions, paperwork, and care coordination that happen all at once. Financial stress can make an already difficult situation even more overwhelming. The Care First Program ensures that financial barriers do not prevent families from receiving compassionate in-home care tailored to their needs.

By reducing costs, we allow families to focus on what matters most: being present, sharing meaningful moments, and ensuring their loved one’s comfort.

For Healthcare Professionals: Using The Oasis Goodwill Referral Network For Our Care First Program

For healthcare and senior care professionals referring clients facing terminal diagnoses or financial hardship, the Oasis Goodwill Referral Network seamlessly connects families to our Care First Program.

Through this program, families who may lack the financial means can receive compassionate, non-medical in-home care tailored to their needs. As a referral partner, you can trust that:

  • Client cases are assessed urgently and with dignity
  • Eligibility for financial support is determined clearly
  • Care placement and follow-through are coordinated and documented
  • Your referral is not just a call; it’s a supported pathway to care

With the Goodwill Referral Network, your clients can access Comfort-Focused Care, Daily Living Assistance, Companion Care, and Family Respite. This ensures no family faces a terminal diagnosis alone.

Read last week’s article for more information about how the Oasis Goodwill Referral Network strengthens continuity of care for your clients (Access the article here: For Healthcare & Senior Living Partners: The Oasis Goodwill Referral Network – Oasis In-Home Care)

For Families: Taking The Next Step

If you or a loved one may qualify for the Care First Program, our team is here to help. We will:

  • Assess the situation with compassion and understanding
  • Determine eligibility for the program
  • Connect you with the care and support services you need

To learn more or request an application, you can fill out the form below or:

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For Healthcare & Senior Living Partners: The Oasis Goodwill Referral Network

At Oasis In-Home Care, we believe that no family should be left without guidance and that referring partners should have clarity of what happens after they send a client to us. Too often, families are overwhelmed and unsure who to call next. Our goal is to ensure that there are “no wrong doors” and “no sorry, we cannot help” to lead to better outcomes for patients. This is why we created the Oasis Goodwill Referral Network to ensure continuity, communication, and coordinated support.

When Your Client Needs More Than Medical Care

As someone who works in healthcare, or more specifically, senior care, you may have experienced one of the following:

  • A patient discharged from hospice, but cannot safely remain alone without supervision
  • A family managing home health visits, but still needs help with daily supervision
  • An independent living resident beginning to decline
  • A family is overwhelmed and unsure of what type of support is needed

In other words, medical services may be in place, but a critical non-medical support system at home is missing. This is where our non-medical in-home services may be beneficial.

What We Assess When You Refer To Oasis

We do more than schedule care when referrals come our way. We do the following:

  1. Assess the client’s needs
  2. Determine if non-medical home care is appropriate now alone or when paired with other services
  3. Identify safety and supervision gaps in addition to caregiver burnout
  4. Explore layered support options, including respite

Our goal is not only placement, but instead, we are focused on stability for clients and families. We treat each incoming call and referral as an opportunity to improve outcomes, strengthen continuity of care, and support families before crisis strikes.

If We Cannot Accept The Case, We Will Explore Further.

One of the most important aspects of our Goodwill Referral Network is that we do not simply provide a phone number and close the file if we cannot accept a client’s case due to any of the following:

  • Staffing limitations
  • Financial hardship
  • Insurance incompatibility
  • Acuity beyond scope
  • Geographic coverage
  • Service mismatch

Instead, we take extra care to:

  • Connect the family to a trusted partner within our referral network
  • Make a warm introduction when possible
  • Confirm placement
  • Communicate back with the original referring partner

This leaves no room for “wrong doors.” Even when we cannot be the primary provider, we advocate for anyone who comes through this network.

Why This Matters For Our Partners

As a referral partner, you need confidence that your client will be treated with dignity and urgency. You also need certainty that the referral will not disappear. Through our structured follow-through standards, each goodwill referral includes:

  • Clear communication
  • Respect for your relationship with the client
  • Same-day or next-business-day assessment
  • Clear placement decision
  • Coordinated placement and documented referral when we can’t serve
  • Follow-through confirmation

Families often don’t know how different types of care fit together, so we guide them through the options and show how everything can work side by side. We also make sure to coordinate with the care people already have, so nothing falls through.

Supporting Independent Living & Community Partners

Independent living communities can try to balance residents who want autonomy, families who want reassurance, and staff who want safety.

Our non-medical in-home care provides:

  • Assistance with ADLs
  • Medication reminders
  • Companionship
  • Safety supervision
  • Fall prevention
  • Overnight support
  • Family respite

When care is appropriately and collaboratively paired, our support will extend independence, reduce emergency transfers, improve family satisfaction, and protect community reputation.

Let’s Strengthen the Continuum Together

Healthcare and senior care are strongest when in a coordinated system.

If your institution has clients who:

  • Need additional non-medical support at home
  • Are transitioning out of higher-acuity care
  • Are struggling in independent living
  • Require family respite
  • Need supervision beyond clinically geared medical visits

We would be honored to assess and explore how we can help. Even if we’re not the perfect fit, we’ll make sure they’re connected to someone who is. Because with the Oasis Goodwill Referral Network, every call deserves an answer! Access our referral form here: Referrals – Oasis In-Home Care

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