If your parent needs hospice services, he or she may wish to have the care initiated in his or her home. Often hospice patients choose this kind of care as they want to die in comfortable and familiar surroundings.
Therefore, many hospice programs center on private home care needs. These needs are supported by a team of hospice providers, including the patient’s doctor, a hospice physician, nurses, and volunteers. A family member acts as the primary caregiver. By choosing hospice care at home, the patient can receive palliative care while spending time with members of his or her family.
Keeping a Terminally Ill Patient Comfortable
Palliative care is recommended in hospice programs that take place in hospice facilities, as well as ones that emphasize private home care services. Palliative care is designed to control a patient’s level of pain so he or she can feel more comfortable. Such care is not meant to cure a patient. Instead, it is meant to enhance the quality of life for a terminally ill patient.
Advanced Directives
When a patient is admitted into a hospice program, a representative from the program will first contact the patient’s physician to see if he or she agrees to such care. If the care is approved, the patient or caregiver must sign consent and insurance paperwork. While a living will is not needed to be admitted to a hospice program that features private home care services, families are encouraged to have advanced directives in place. Typically, they are asked not to contact 911, but to rely on the hospice’s staff in this respect.
Where to Learn More About Hospice Services
After a patient passes away in a hospice program, families can turn to a bereavement counselor for support. Hospices, such as Sacred Journey Hospice, offer this kind of assistance for 13 months after a patient’s death. Visit the hospice’s website to learn all about its services and follow-up counseling at website.com today. You can also connect them on Facebook for more updates.
