Hospice care is specialised medical attention for terminally ill patients. Hospice care is not a last resort. What this means is that rather than trying to cure the patient's illness, the focus of treatment will be on making their lives more bearable. Learn about the hospice care of hospice care services aims and advantages here. If you or a loved one is considering hospice care, it is important to have a firm grasp on the concept and have any misconceptions about it dispelled.
Why Do People Have Hospice Care?
Hospice care from hospice care services is individualised and not disease-based. Hospice care focuses on alleviating distressing symptoms like pain, nausea, and shortness of breath rather than attempting a cure. If a doctor has determined that a patient's condition is terminal, the patient and their loved ones may opt for hospice care. They have shifted their priorities from increasing their lifespan to improving their quality. Some hospice care services may offer spiritual and social workers to assist patients and their families in processing the patient's diagnosis and making peace with the inevitable.
What Hospice Looks Like
Hospice is not a location but rather a way of thinking about caring for the terminally ill. However, there are standalone facilities that provide hospice care services for those who cannot remain in their own homes. Hospice care may or may not involve a multidisciplinary team of professionals.
- Home-Based Hospice Treatment
Whether at home, in a nursing home, or an assisted living facility, patients typically receive hospice care in their usual environment. One of the central tenets of hospice care is allowing patients to remain in their own homes and among their possessions.
- Hospice Facilities
Independently owned hospices are an alternative to hospice agencies that only provide in-home care. A freestanding hospice may be the best option for patients who either don't have anyone to help them out at home or who require constant, intensive physical care.
Benefits of Hospice Care
Those hospice patients who can do so may spend their extra time with family and friends, going on vacations, visiting places they've always wanted to see, and doing things they've always wanted to do.
When a patient is unable to travel outside of their home (or a hospice facility), their loved ones can spend quality time with them. In contrast, the hospice staff handles mundane tasks like bathing, medication administration, meal preparation, and paperwork.
Hospice patients have access to doctors and nurses who specialise in pain relief, as well as the care and medications they need. Social workers and chaplains are also available to provide comfort for the dying patient's emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
Concerns about the afterlife are common among the terminally ill. Additionally, they might have some “unfinished business” that they need to settle. Helping them let go of feelings of guilt and shame about their past experiences is another service that social workers and spiritual counsellors can provide.
Conclusion
Ultimately, only you can decide when and where to spend your last days. You may have come to terms with the fact that your illness is terminal and that you'd prefer to avoid a hospital death. You are choosing hospice care services from Red Rock Hospice Care Center, which allows you to spend your final days surrounded by the people who matter most to you. Accepting that your illness is terminal and making the decision to enter a hospice programme does not have to mean giving up hope.
