What Is Hospice Care?
If you have a loved one suffering from a life threatening illness, then you want to make sure he or she is comfortable as the illness progresses. Hospice care provides specialized treatment and support to you and your ill loved one. The goal is for the patient to live each day alert, pain-free and to the fullest. Here are three things to consider to help with understanding hospice treatment.
How Does the Treatment Keep Patients Comfortable?
Life threatening illnesses cause patients to experience pain and other serious symptoms. These symptoms tend to get worse over time. Hospice staff goes through specialized training to handle all types of distress, discomfort and pain related to life threatening illnesses.
A physician comes up with a treatment plan that all nurses and staff must follow. The staff have to make sure that all procedures, therapies and medication follow the goals outlined in the treatment plan. This treatment plan is updated frequently to reflect changes and any new goals. Many hospice programs use this information to determine how to make patients comfortable through this type of care.
Where Do You Receive Treatment?
This type of treatment is available to a terminally ill person regardless of location. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a hospice patient is expected to live six months or less. A patient can receive hospice while living in a long-term care facility, nursing home, hospice center or at home. When living in a facility, you can receive specialized treatment from nurses, volunteers, social workers and home health aides. Your loved one receives hospice care and any other services provided by the facility. There is usually a written agreement between the nursing facility and hospice when providing care to residents in this setting.
Treatment after Hours
A person with a terminal illness needs around-the-clock care. Hospice provides treatment even when your administrative office is closed. It provides treatment every day for 24 hours a day. Nurses are on call and can respond to calls within minutes.
A serious illness can take a physical and emotional toll on a family. This program allows you to focus on your loved one and enjoy the time that you have together. The main purpose of this treatment is to make sure the patient makes the most of their remaining time and lives as comfortably as possible. Hospice care focuses on quality of care and comfort instead of curing the illness. Contact a company like Orchard Hill at Sudbury Assisted Living Community.
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