Are you afraid to ask what exactly hospice really is? Hospice can be a scary thing to talk about, but hopefully this will clear some things up for you so it’s easier to even just hear the word and talk about it.
Hospice is compassionate care for people who face a life-limiting illness and no longer wish to receive aggressive treatment. It is a team-oriented approach to medical care as well as emotional and spiritual support for both the patients and their families. Hospice is simply caring for patients and not curing them. It focuses on quality of life rather than quantity, it is recognizing that dying is a part of the normal process of living. Hospice affirms life and neither hastens nor postpones death.
Hospice is compassionate care that helps patients and families live life as fully as possible. Hospice is simply caring for patients and not curing them.
Are you wondering who this team is that I am talking about? The hospice team is made up of the hospice medical director, personal physician, nurse practitioner, nurse case manager, certified nurse’s aide, social worker, chaplain, bereavement counselor and volunteers. So how does hospice work you ask? Well, it depends. If your loved one is home then a family member is usually the primary caregiver. If your loved one is in a facility then hospice is an extension of their care. Members of the hospice team provide regular visits and we are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What services does hospice provide?
- Assist the patient with the emotional, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of dying
- Manage pain symptoms o Provide needed medications, medical supplies and equipment
- Teach the family how to care for the patient
- Find short term inpatient care if the family needs a break or if pain symptoms become too difficult to manage at home
- Provide bereavement care and counseling to family and friends Hospice is not giving up nor is it a form of euthanasia or physician assisted suicide.
Hospice cares for 1.65 million Americans and their families.
Interview the different agencies and ask questions like:
- What extra services do they provide?
- How long have they been around?
- How was their last survey?
- What types of screening and training do their employees have?
- Are they allowed to provide services in the hospital or nursing home of your choice in case the need arises?
- How quickly can they do an admission?
- How many patients does each nurse have to care for?
- What about the nurse’s aide?
So what makes Grane Hospice so special?
Please call us to hear more about these or any of our services and ask any questions you would like at 1.800.379.0129.
