All You Need to Know About Hospice Care Services Anderson, SC
Terminal conditions can be painful and unpleasant to such a degree that your loved one may feel it is no longer worth the effort to prevent the condition any longer and choose to stop taking treatments. At this point, your doctor may make a recommendation to you that you enter your loved one into hospice care also called end-of-life care.
Hospice care is often the best choice for those who are suffering the shortness of breath, pain, and gamut of other symptoms that can accompany terminal conditions. These conditions can often remove the focus of enjoying one’s life and focusing on the things that matter most.
Some people have the mistaken assumption that hospice care is giving up on life or that under hospice care they will not get the full measure of medical help or attention they need. But this is not the case, hospice cases are all about improving the patient’s life as much as possible while not focusing on treatments.
To accomplish this, there are a variety of professionals who will contribute to complete hospice care. This can include a counselor, a nurse, a doctor, a social worker and, if your orientation is so inclined, a chaplain or religious counselor of your choice. These professionals will work in conjunction to make sure your mind, body and spiritual sides are addressed during this time.
The support of this team of hospice professionals will also help family members cope with what can be an especially distressing situation.
When Can I Join Hospice Care?
Eligibility for hospice care is ready once you have a doctor’s diagnosis for a terminal illness, which is expected to take your life within 6 months. If your doctor believes that after this time the condition has not improved any, they may extend your stay.
Hospice isn’t always a permanent choice.
For example, someone who has been diagnosed with failing kidneys will likely choose to leave dialysis and enter hospice care. If at any point in after making this decision they choose to continue their treatments and not proceed with hospice care, this is perfectly acceptable. Many people have made remarkable recoveries and lived long after they chose not to continue with hospice care, so this is something to keep in mind.
It should also be noted that hospice care is not the same thing as palliative treatment, which is for those with severe conditions. Hospice care is for those who are already in a life-threatening condition.
Can I Stay at Home — and Should I?
Hospice offers four different types of care and two of these can be handled in the comfort of your home.
Routine Home Care – the most common type of hospice care includes nursing services and specific health care.
Continuous Home Care –– in this situation, the patient will need continuous care during their time in hospice.
General Inpatient Care –– this may include short time hospitalizations, especially if the pain is bad.
Respite Care – this may be a short term in a care facility so that your regular caregiver can get some much-needed rest.
You may also choose to pursue hospice care in a situation where your friends and family can come and visit you as frequently as they choose. Sometimes it is a family member that is the primary caregiver in this situation.
You can also find that care is provided at nursing home centers, hospitals, hospice centers and other long-term care facilities.
Here are a few of the things to consider if you have been thinking about hospice care?
- How bad is the health condition?
- Can pain be addressed outside a hospital?
- Can the primary caregiver handle emotional and physical aspects of caring for this patient and their house?
- Will the caregiver be able to ask for time off work in case of an emergency?
- Can you afford things like a bedside commode, wheelchair, etc.?
Of course, all the questions listed above are very personal, but they can give you a better understanding of what hospice care entails and your capacity to provide this type of care and support.
What Happens Once I’m in Hospice?
The first step in entering hospice will be to discuss the routine and deta8ils of your stay with the team and your loved ones. This plan will focus on things like the severity of your symptoms, and how your pain can be relieved best. There are also regular caregivers who will be able to contact you in cse you need this help.
some additional services available include:
Chaplain and spiritual counselors
Counseling for the patient and their loved ones
Social work and counseling
Medical equipment and supplies
Advice on eating
Medicine to ease pain
Physical and speech therapy
As you can see there is much to consider when planning on hospice care services Anderson, SC. By considering the above mentioned points you will have a better idea of what to expect from your hospice care services.