Hospice Programs: How They Support & Why They Are Helpful
Posted on 05. Aug, 2010 by Aaron Yeagle in In-Home Care, Senior Health
Here’s an excerpt from a helpful article on hospice:
Hospice care was developed as a care solution for terminally ill patients. Usually family members are involved in care services when a senior or someone younger is terminally ill. Medicare does provide for hospice care services for seniors and provides certified nursing aide caregivers, social workers and registered nurses to visit the home to assist with the senior’s care needs. Family caregivers often do not realize Medicare will pay for hospice care services for seniors to help support them. Yet the support of hospice can make a difficult situation a little easier to manage.
Hospice programs are an excellent resource for families and seniors to utilize when caring for a terminally ill patient. If you are on a family caregiving team, or help make the decisions for someone close to you who is terminally ill, a hospice program can be a breath of fresh air.
Most hospice programs offer a team of healthcare professionals to assist in overall healthcare plan for your loved one. First, they offer qualified caregivers who can help with bathing, transferring, repositioning, incontinent care, and more. Also, there will be a nurse (RN, LPN, LVN) who periodically visits to help with wounds, assessments, and medication, among other things. Therapists may also be part of the hospice team, depending on the specific plan your loved one is on. The team of healthcare professionals is assisted and coordinated by a social worker who is involved with setting up services and ensuring the patient is getting proper treatment.
Hospice programs normally end up being very helpful for a family and caregivers because they offer a level of structure. There are many healthcare professionals working in the development in the care plan, in conjunction with the physician, and they also offer a bit of respite for the family or the team of caregivers. In a difficult period of time hospice might make a positive difference in the quality of life for a terminally ill person and his or her family.