Sometimes, even with today’s medical advances, there’s just nothing more that can be done to treat a sick person. Doctors have done all they can to make your loved one well, but the disease or aging has won.
Facing death is no easy task.
Another treatment, a last option—those are much preferred over hearing there is nothing else to be done. Thankfully, your loved one’s final days don’t have to be spent in a cold, sterile hospital. Many communities offer hospice care that allows your loved one to rest in the comforts of home, surrounded by family and friends. This service can be a great comfort and support to the terminally ill and their family.
How does hospice care work, and what qualities should you look for in a hospice provider?
An Offer of Comfort
No one wants to see a loved one suffer. Hospice care exists to maximize comfort. Palliative care, as it’s often called, seeks to alleviate symptoms. This may be through pain relief methods or by addressing social, spiritual, emotional, or psychological needs. Counseling is available for fears, end-of-life decisions, pain relief options, and available medical equipment.
Through the support offered by hospice care, patients will often live longer and enjoy a better quality of life during their last days. Likely this is due to the holistic approach of hospice. Whereas hospitals focus on pain relief, hospice goes a step further to address emotional and spiritual needs as well.
Who’s Eligible?
If your loved one is expected to live less than six months, hospice may be the best option. And though many receiving hospice care are suffering from terminal cancer, anyone with a terminal illness may benefit from hospice, whether they are suffering from dementia, kidney failure, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or simply the normal process of aging.
Hospice personnel usually take care of people in their homes, but they also visit hospitals, assisted living homes, nursing homes, and hospice-specific facilities. The goal is to keep people out of the hospital environment, but sometimes that’s not an option.
A Team of Caretakers
It takes a team of hospice professionals to provide the wide range of services they offer. A hospice doctor and primary physician will oversee medical care while it’s the nurses who visit the home and provide the care. Home health aides assist with bathing, dressing, and eating. Dieticians offer advice on nutritional needs, and social workers and counselors are available for guidance and counsel. When medications are needed for comfort, pharmacists oversee medication needs. The final piece of the hospice team are volunteers, who offer respite care for caregivers.
All team members work together on a plan that’s tailored to their patient’s specific needs, but in accordance with their patient’s and loved one’s desires.
Choosing a Hospice Provider
If there’s more than one hospice program in your community, it can be difficult to know which one will serve you best. Ask around. Talk with doctors, nurses, friends, or neighbors for recommendations. Read reviews online. Compassionate, quality care is your goal.
Then make a list of questions to ask the hospice provider. You may have questions about cost, payment options, insurance coverage, hours (most are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week), non-profit or for profit, certification, licensure, training of staff, pain management options, services offered, frequency of home visits, continuity of staff, and the time it takes to be accepted into the program.
The End Game
Why go with hospice? By taking advantage of the care and support offered by hospice organizations, you can enjoy—as much as possible—the last days with your loved one and know your loved one is as comfortable as possible.
