Caring for someone who is ill is not easy to do alone. It is important to seek professional care and support for your loved one if they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. This can free you and your family from the burden of caring for your loved one so that you can spend a meaningful and memorable time with your loved one.
Hospice care provides support for individuals who have been diagnosed with a serious and terminal illness as well as their families.
The Benefits Of Hospice Support For Overwhelmed Families
The benefits of hospice care for families include the ability to receive professional care in the comfort of your loved one’s own home, the assistance of mental health and spiritual professionals, assistance with symptoms management, answer to any medical or support questions, and more. The following is a detailed discussion of the most notable benefits of hospice care for families that may feel overwhelmed.
Hospice Care Comes to Where You Are
One of the primary benefits of hospice care is the ability to receive care wherever your loved one is, whether that is in your home or in the comfort of an assisted living facility. Hospice care is designed to make life easy and improve the quality of life for the patient and their family by meeting them where they are.
Hospice care providers also do all they can to accommodate the wishes of the patient and their families. This may involve working with family members to create a home living space that is comfortable and appropriate for their loved one.
Hospice Care Can Include Visits From a Chaplain, Social Worker, and volunteers
Hospice care teams are large and consist of multiple members. In addition to the hospice care nurses, your loved one will have access to a chaplain, social worker(s), and volunteer(s) who are there to improve the overall quality of life for the patient and help them keep good spirits and a positive mental state.
Hospice Care Helps Manage Your Loved One’s Symptoms
One of the main concerns many patients in hospice care have is pain management, along with the management of other discomforting symptoms. Hospice care aims to improve the overall physical condition of the patient and help ensure they are as pain-free as possible and able to think clearly.
Through a symptom management regimen and 24/7 access to a hospice care worker if any concerning symptoms develop, overwhelmed families do not bear the responsibility of ensuring the symptoms their loved one experiences are minimal.
Hospice Care Offers Emotional Support for Your Family
Many families feel overwhelmed not by the responsibility of caring for their loved one but rather due to the emotionally challenging situation their illness causes. Hospice care support is offered to close family members as well as the patient to help them through the care and grieving processes.
You Can Call Your Hospice Provider With Any Questions
Many family members are uncertain when they should call for an ambulance when their loved one has bad days. With hospice care, you never have to call 911. Instead, you can call the hospice care team for guidance for every situation. Whether your loved one is in need of emotional support or experiences worsening symptoms, you can get the care you need by first calling your hospice team.
Hospice Care Assists Families With The End-of-Life Process
From helping their loved one prepare for end-of-life to assisting with all of the necessary steps to take once their loved one passes, hospice care can assist families through the most challenging times involved with the hospice care process.
Hospice Care Can Offer Respite Care When Necessary
Respite care is temporary care inside of a health or assisted living facility. This may be necessary for several reasons. Often, hospice patients require respite care if their symptoms worsen beyond what is manageable at home; in this case, they can receive the care they need in a health facility while their symptoms improve.
In other instances, the patient’s primary caregiver may decide to take a vacation, in which case the patient can check into respite care temporarily. For families specifically, anytime they start to feel overwhelmed and need to take some time away, they can rely upon respite care to provide the assistance they need.
Get in Touch With Our Hospice Care Team at Harbor Light Hospice
If you are considering hospice care for you or your loved one, then call our team at Harbor Light Hospice today and speak with one of our hospice professionals about how hospice support can benefit your loved one as well as the rest of your family. Our team takes genuine pride in assisting our patients and ensuring they have the best quality of care possible.