Facing a terminal illness is difficult for both the senior and their family. Receiving hospice care at home delivers several benefits, like the comfort of spending one’s last days in a meaningful setting.
Hospice care is medical care that is administered by professionals like nurses and doctors with the goal of keeping patients as comfortable and pain free as possible. This type of hospice care can be complemented by non-medical home care administered by licensed caregivers with the goal of accommodating personal care needs that traditional hospice generally does not cover.
Here are the many benefits of receiving hospice care at home, as well as additional care from home caregivers.
What is hospice care?
Terminally ill seniors with six months or less to live may receive compassionate end-of-life care in hospice. A medical team, including doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, chaplain, bereavement manager, and volunteers administer care with the aim to promote comfort and quality of life.
Hospice care is a comprehensive form of care, managing symptoms and addressing the elderly patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Members of the medical team, such as counselors and volunteers, may also provide solace and support to the senior’s family members.
Where is hospice care received?
Hospice care can be received in various locations. The senior may receive hospice in a hospice center equipped to provide pain management and emotional support. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities may also provide hospice care. But the senior can feel disconnected in these places.
What are the benefits using home care with hospice patient?
1. Increased Comfort
A more comforting place to receive hospice care is in the senior’s own home. The hospice patient is surrounded by familiar faces, cherished mementos, and personal belongings that give them a sense of ease and peace of mind during this otherwise challenging time.
2. Flexible Care Plan
Aside from the comfort of spending one’s final days in familiar surroundings, seniors who receive hospice care at home are given more customized and flexible care plans. The elderly patient enjoys greater autonomy in their daily routines, schedules, and preferences.
3. Greater Autonomy
The freedom of home-based hospice care contributes to the senior’s sense of independence. Plus, the aging hospice patient can expect their family members, friends, and loved ones to be more involved when hospice care is delivered at home rather than in a hospice facility.
4. Family Involvement
Family involvement increases with home-based hospice care because loved ones are not obligated to schedule their visits around hospice center hours. Instead, they spend time with the senior in the relaxed home setting, having the time and opportunity for conversations.
5. Convenience
Receiving hospice care at home is also easier on the senior’s family members. Loved ones are not compelled to make frequent trips to and from the hospice center or hospital. When family members don’t travel back and forth, they feel less stress and spend more quality time with the senior.
How do seniors receive hospice care at home?
Once the senior has discussed their wishes for hospice care, they and their families must arrange for hospice care with the help of the senior’s medical provider. The senior should be hospice-eligible, which means they suffer from an incurable condition or life-limiting illness.
The aging individual is officially admitted into hospice once the papers are signed. A hospice team is assigned to the senior and equipment and medications are delivered. The team communicates with the senior’s physician, sharing the patient’s physical symptoms, medical history, and life expectancy.
The hospice team considers input from the senior, family members, and physician to develop the initial care plan. The care plan is reviewed regularly and revised based on the elderly patient’s condition. At the heart of it all are the senior and their families, who understand what the senior needs.
In addition to medical hospice care, seniors can receive non-medical hospice care at home services from a licensed home caregiver. Hospice care at home simplifies life for the senior living with a serious illness as hospice caregivers provide personal care not included in traditional hospice care, shop for groceries, prepare meals, and give medication reminders. These caregivers also serve as companions who hold pleasant conversations and uplift the senior during this difficult time.
Grief is inevitable as the senior spends their remaining days in hospice care. Bereavement counselors are essential to the hospice patient and family members, helping them work through the grief of facing a terminal diagnosis. Counselors are also available after the patient passes, if necessary.
How do seniors and families choose a hospice provider?
Look for a licensed in-home hospice provider with a good reputation. Healthcare providers and friends may provide recommendations. Ensure the hospice provider is qualified to deliver skilled, compassionate care and meets the older adult’s practical, medical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Working with a home care agency for hospice care at home can complement the medical care they receive from traditional hospice. Care needs may include help with household tasks, like laundry or cleaning, as well as assistance with personal care, such as bathing or dressing. Home caregivers can provide this type of assistance to hospice patients without interrupting the care provided by medical professionals.
Transparent communication and collaboration between the hospice provider, home caregivers, and family are essential to ensuring the best quality of care. Find a hospice care and home care provider with whom the senior and family feel comfortable and who shares their end-of-life values and preferences.
Hospice Care at Home from Assisting Hands
Receiving hospice care at home offers the senior comfort, freedom, and flexibility. When your aging loved one is hospice-eligible and wants to receive care at home, choose the compassionate hospice care from Assisting Hands Home Care. We promote the dignity of hospice patients.
Our home-based care is non-medical in nature yet comprehensive. Non-medical hospice care from our caregivers complements medical hospice care provided by a medical team. Our caregivers serve as pleasant companions, for instance, erasing the loneliness and isolation elderly patients may feel.
Additional responsibilities of in-home hospice care include healthy meal preparation, grocery shopping, and light housekeeping to keep the senior’s home clean and comfortable. We give timely medication reminders and assist care recipients with hygiene tasks, like bathing, toileting, grooming, and dressing.
Non-medical hospice care from our reputable home care agency is significant, as our caregivers elevate the senior’s quality of life. We strive to promote the aging adult’s comfort and well-being with hands-on care and follow a personalized, flexible care plan developed during our initial meeting.
If your aging loved one receives medical hospice care, ensure their holistic needs are met by also incorporating non-medical hospice care from Assisting Hands Home Care into their care plan. We serve Schaumburg, Illinois, with dedication. Schedule a free in-home consult today to learn more.
