People understandably often feel overwhelmed when they find out that hospice care is the best option for one of their loved ones. This is a difficult time for someone walking with a
family member who is near the end of life.
Nevertheless, hospice care can assist patients and loved ones through this stage compassionately and carefully, making this difficult time a little easier.
What is Hospice?
According to the Hospice Foundation of America, the mission and goal of hospice is “maintaining or improving quality of life for someone whose illness, disease, or condition is unlikely to be cured.”
Hospice offers a variety of services, each one tailored to the individual patient. Some of the services commonly offered by hospice are
- Access to doctors, nurses, and home-care specialists
- Medical equipment and medication
- Physical therapy
- Nutritional counseling
Patients receive hospice care in their
home environment, which promotes the comfort and ease of the patients. The service is intended for patients living with a terminal illness in the end stages and the patient’s families.
What Hospice can do for You
If you are a family member or caregiver to someone with a terminal illness, hospice can provide a support system for you and your family. Hospice offers services like grief counseling for those who are close to the patient.
While the focus is of course on caring for the patient,
hospice can also be a great source of comfort to loved ones, and it can help ease some of the burden that comes with caring for a terminally ill loved one. This can allow patients and their families to make the most of the time they have together.
What Hospice can do for Your Loved One
In addition to the medical services that hospice offers, many patients take comfort in knowing that their families are also being cared for during this difficult time.
Hospice also offers counseling and spiritual advising to patients who want it. Hospice’s holistic approach to serving
patients and their families ensures the medical care and comfort needed to see people through challenging days and that patients’ physical, mental, and spiritual health are cared for.