A terminal diagnosis is a profound and life-altering moment. Yet, seniors don’t have to leave the comfort and familiarity of home to receive care in their final days. Hospice home care provides a compassionate alternative, allowing them to stay surrounded by loved ones in a familiar setting. This guide explores the essentials of this deeply supportive approach to end-of-life care.
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice care provides comfort and care during the last stage of a senior’s life. The goal of hospice care is not curative but to improve the patient’s quality of life. The typical hospice care patient is given a life expectancy of six months or less by their health practitioner.
Since the focus of hospice care is to enhance quality of life, it addresses a range of needs. The older adult’s physical needs are fulfilled. Hospice care also meets the patient’s spiritual, social, and emotional needs, which may include dealing with the challenges of facing a life-limiting illness.
Hospice care is delivered by a team of health care professionals, from doctors to nurses and social workers. Chaplains may be involved to provide spiritual support to both the senior and family, while hospice volunteers are important for providing companionship and increasing physical comfort.
What Is In-Home Hospice Care?
In-home hospice care is non-medical care and assistance provided to patients in their homes to complement the traditional hospice care they receive. This type of care helps with personal care activities and tasks around the home that are not usually covered by traditional hospice care.
With in-home hospice care, caregivers may assist with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, and toileting, and provide medication reminders to ensure that the hospice patient never misses a dose. They also help the hospice patient and their family by taking care of light housekeeping tasks, meal preparation, and errands.
What are the Levels of Hospice Care?
Care needs determine which of the four levels of hospice care an aging patient would benefit from. Routine care is when the senior does not require 24-hour care and can independently manage their symptoms. This most common form of hospice care can be received in the older adult’s home.
Continuous care is for seniors with advanced symptoms, such as uncontrolled pain. Nursing care is involved in managing their symptoms. While continuous hospice care may be received at home, general inpatient care may be more beneficial for managing chronic pain when it can’t be done at home.
The fourth type of hospice care is respite care, which relieves the family caregiver from their ongoing responsibilities of caring for the elderly loved one 24 hours a day. The professional hospice respite caregiver’s services are usually short-term.
What are the Benefits of In-Home Hospice Care?
Many seniors prefer to remain at home as they approach the end of life. A familiar home environment offers comfort, emotional security, and easier access for loved ones. In-home hospice care reduces the need for frequent hospital visits and allows families to spend meaningful time together in a more personal setting.
Additionally, relatives do not need to plan their events around a hospital schedule when their aging loved one receives hospice care at home. The senior also has the chance to attend family gatherings or spend time in a relaxed setting when they opt for in-home hospice care.
24/7 Access to Care and Medical Support
Aside from giving seniors and their families a place to talk about all they need to, in-home hospice care support is available 24 hours, 7 days a week to answer questions and address concerns. While the family caregiver provides daily care, the hospice team offers medical support.
The 24/7 support provided by the interdisciplinary hospice team is critical during crises. The team can dispatch a clinician to the senior’s home when necessary. Other common hospice services include the delivery of medications, equipment, and supplies to manage the senior’s symptoms.
Regular Health Monitoring and Family Education
Hospice nurses stop by the senior’s home to check on their health. If the patient’s health status changes, the nurses work with the doctor to adjust medications or alter the care plan. Hospice nurses also educate the family about the dying process, relieving fears and helping them cope.
Emotional and Practical Support
The spiritual support provided by chaplains or other faith leaders is helpful to both the family and the senior alike. The hospice team assists with funeral services, counseling during the bereavement period, and help obtaining Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, for example.
Hospice volunteers are vital for erasing the sense of isolation some seniors feel. Their companionship is a privilege many older hospice patients enjoy. Plus, volunteers assist with practical matters, such as running errands, playing games, and performing light household chores.
Assistance with Daily Activities and Hygiene
Hospice aides increase the physical comfort of in-home hospice patients by helping with hygiene tasks, such as bathing and grooming. They help the senior during meals and provide transfer assistance. In-home hospice care is tailored to the unique needs of the elderly individual.
Supplemental Hospice Home Care from Assisting Hands
Supplemental hospice care can take place anywhere the senior calls home. If they decide to receive in-home hospice care, Assisting Hands Home Care is ready to provide compassionate support. Our care is non-medical, yet personalized to provide maximum comfort to the senior in their final days.
Our home hospice caregivers provide a wide range of in-home care services. Responsibilities include shopping for fresh groceries, serving beverages, and preparing meals following the senior’s dietary restrictions. We give timely medication reminders to keep them on their drug regimen.
We assist with the activities of daily living, such as hygiene. Caregivers provide respectful help with bathing, toileting, dressing, and grooming. Light housekeeping is included to ensure the hospice patient’s home remains clean and comfortable. We also assess the home for fall risks and reduce clutter.
Our professionals are pleasant companions who engage the elderly socially. Regular companionship prevents the senior from feeling lonely, isolated, or bored. We play stimulating games, hold light conversations, join them in hobbies and recreational activities, or take them on outings.
Incorporate home hospice care from Assisting Hands Home Care into your aging loved one’s care plan when they receive a terminal diagnosis. We serve Fort Worth, Texas, seniors with dedication. Schedule a free in-home consultation today to learn more about quality in-home care.
