Description
Hospice Monviso is a facility specialized in the care of patients with diseases for which no curative treatment is available. Located within the Candiolo Cancer Institute, approximately 15 km from the center of Turin and accessible by public transport, it is not a place where medicine gives up, but rather a setting where the focus of care changes. The primary goal is no longer cure, but symptom control and improvement of quality of life.
When home care is not feasible or no longer appropriate, the hospice represents the most suitable environment to ensure comprehensive and individualized assistance. It provides care in a welcoming and human-centered setting, where patients receive continuous medical and supportive treatment.
Hospice Monviso is a protected space where care continues, focusing on the quality of the time that remains and on supporting both patients and their families and caregivers.
The Hospital Setting
Being located within the oncology hospital means immediate access to specialized expertise, advanced technologies, and integrated clinical pathways. Furthermore, the facility’s modern and functional architecture, combined with the natural setting of the Stupinigi Park, makes the spaces reassuring and welcoming for both guests and their families.
The Multidisciplinary Team
At Hospice Monviso, a multidisciplinary team including palliative care physicians, pain therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, nurses, healthcare assistants (OSS), and spiritual counselors ensures specialized care with a shared goal: improving the quality of the time that remains.
The psychological support service is dedicated to both patients and their caregivers. Therapeutic groups for caregivers are also available, with the aim of offering reassurance and psychological support to family members.
Approach
Hospice Monviso is not only about managing symptoms, but about protecting the life and dignity of the person as a whole: humanizing care and relieving pain without dulling the individual, allowing them to remain an active part of the surrounding world and their cherished relationships.
This comprehensive approach covers not just the patient, but the entire family unit. Family members are not treated as visitors; instead, they are an integral part of the journey.
The staff is guided by a powerful philosophy: adding quality to days, not just days to life. It is not about prolonging time at all costs, but about ensuring that this time is lived with dignity, connection, and the least possible pain.
Palliative care represents a combination of therapeutic, diagnostic, and welfare interventions aimed at both the ill individual and their family, with the goal of offering active and total care. It is not just about containing pain, but about improving the quality of life as a whole, while always respecting the patient’s wishes.
The Facility
- Light and nature: Hospice Monviso offers 20 beds in bright rooms with direct views of greenery and the surrounding mountains. Close contact with nature, privacy, and distance from the noise of the city are considered integral components of the therapeutic environment.
- Room personalization: during their stay, patients are encouraged to personalize their rooms with photographs, plants, personal objects, cushions, and blankets brought from home.
- Common space: the hospice includes shared areas dedicated to relaxation, including a library available to patients and visitors.
- Spaces for family members: caregivers can stay overnight in their loved one’s room using a chair-bed. They also have access to the hospice herbal tea room, as well as the restaurant and bar facilities of the Candiolo Cancer Institute.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours are from 08:00 to 20:00 (8 AM to 8 PM), with flexibility granted based on specific patient needs.
Activities
Hospice Monviso offers patients a range of services and activities designed to reduce stress and alleviate the perception of pain. These interventions are grounded in scientific evidence and supported by internal research data demonstrating measurable reductions in stress and pain perception, rather than providing only momentary comfort.
- Music therapy: an experiential approach that uses instruments replicating natural sounds, together with selected music designed to evoke positive memories and emotional well-being.
- Pet therapy: interaction with dogs, in particular Golden Retrievers, helps create an emotional connection with the patient and contributes to reducing anxiety and perceived pain.
Admission
Admission to Hospice Monviso is free of charge, as it is covered by the National Health Service (SSN) and integrated into the Regional Territorial care Network.
Timing and Procedures
There are two pathways for initiating a request for admission to Hospice Monviso, depending on the patient’s clinical situation:
- Hospitalized patient: the ward physician prepares the admission proposal, which is then validated by the Head of Palliative Care for the patient’s district of residence. The General Practitioner (GP) is kept informed throughout the process;
- Patient at home: the admission proposal is formulated by the Family Doctor (GP) in coordination with local healthcare services. In this case as well, validation is carried out by the Head of Palliative Care for the patient’s district of residence.
Intake interview: prior to admission, an interview is conducted with the patient and family members to review the clinical history, overall condition, prognosis, level of autonomy, and care needs.
Rights and Protections
At Hospice Monviso, each individual is placed at the center of all care decisions. This means that patient rights are fully respected and actively protected throughout the entire care pathway.
Right to information
Every patient has the right to receive clear and comprehensible information about their clinical condition. Patients who prefer not to be directly informed about their diagnosis or prognosis may express this choice, which will be fully respected.
Right to informed consent
No treatment is performed without the patient’s informed consent. The patient’s wishes guide all clinical decisions throughout the care process.
Right to pain relief
Every individual has the right to optimal management of pain, as well as of physical and psychological distress.
Right to privacy
Patients have the right to decide who is informed about their clinical condition and who is not. Confidentiality is guaranteed at every stage of the hospice care pathway.
Right to psychological and spiritual support
Psychological support is available, and patients may also request assistance from spiritual or religious representatives, according to their personal beliefs and preferences.
Right to the closeness of loved ones
Family members are not considered visitors but an integral part of the care process. Their presence is encouraged and actively supported, with dedicated spaces and organizational procedures designed to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the admission criteria?
Hospice Monviso welcomes patients suffering from advanced-stage diseases that no longer respond to active therapies (mainly rapidly evolving tumors) for which recovery or stabilization are no longer achievable goals. These are individuals whose autonomy is significantly compromised and for whom home care, even if desired, is no longer possible or safe. The estimated life expectancy is generally less than four months. In these cases, the hospice becomes the most appropriate place to guarantee specialized palliative care, pain control, and quality of life until the end.
What are the visiting hours in the hospice?
From 08:00 to 20:00, with flexibility for family members with specific needs. The management of visitor flows is left to the family.
Is it possible to bring personal items from home?
Absolutely, yes. From clothing and blankets to small personal furnishings, anything that brings the patient closer to their own home is welcome.
What happens if the illness stabilizes?
After three months, a clinical evaluation is carried out. In the event of stabilization, the team supports the family in organizing either a return home, with the activation of local palliative care services, or a transfer to a nursing home (RSA).
Are pets allowed in the hospice?
Personal pets are not allowed, but the department regularly provides professional pet therapy sessions with trained dogs.
What is the role of volunteers in the hospice?
Volunteers offer a discreet presence and invaluable human support. They dedicated themselves mainly to companionship and listening to patients, with a special focus on those who do not have family members nearby, ensuring that no one feels alone on their journey.
Contacts
- Hospice: 3rd floor – Candiolo Cancer Institute
- Phone: +39 011 993 3984
- Fax: +39 011 993 3880
- E-mail: hospice@ircc.it
- Find out how to reach us
