The greatest percentage of hospice patients, if given the choice, wish to receive care in their own home. However, the caregiving needs patients face while on hospice may feel greater than what their assigned caregivers feel they can deliver in a home setting.
Many caregivers of hospice patients view their role as a caregiver as a blessing and an opportunity to nurture and care for a loved one during their time of need. To them, it is more than just the act of caregiving; it is an act of love. Hospice providers see many family members who share this perspective. The hospice team will integrate care from loved ones into the overall care plan if that goal is important to the family or to the patient’s end-of-life wishes.
Hospice providers also walk alongside many family members who view the role of caregiving as a burden. This can be especially true when care is being delivered in a home setting. When family caregivers assume the role, they feel challenged about how to facilitate or perform personal care assistance and meet the daily needs their loved one requires. For them, it feels foreign and awkward. They fear the unknown and what to expect in the final days. Being a caregiver in the home setting can be a time commitment amidst already busy schedules that some cannot easily fulfill. When difficulties of challenging family dynamics exist, it all can make caregiving in any setting feel like a heavy load to bear.
The hospice care team can help alleviate the challenges associated with caregiving in the home when receiving care in that setting is a goal.
The Value of Hospice Care when delivered in the Home Setting:
Pain and Symptom Management – The hospice team guides families in achieving symptom control, assisting with medication management and ensuring that patients experience relief from pain.
Medical Equipment and Supplies – Hospice helps facilitate ordering the necessary equipment and supplies their loved one may need, such as wheelchairs, oxygen, hospital beds and other essential items.
Personal Care Assistance – Hospice aides may help with grooming, bathing and dressing as well as other activities that may become more difficult as the terminal illness progresses.
Emotional and Spiritual Support – Serious illness affects more than physical health. Hospice helps patients process fears, address emotions and find comfort according to their beliefs and values.
Caregiver Education – Families receive guidance on how to care for loved ones safely and confidently.
Families benefit from hospice care in the home setting. In addition to the care of their loved one, they know their need for support as a caregiver in a home setting will be met. This is just one of the many reasons why family members recommend hospice care for their loved ones.
For more information about Hospice of Holland programs and services, to make a referral or for answers to your questions about hospice care, please call 616.396.2972. View www.hollandhospice.org and hear from others why care from Hospice of Holland made a difference for their loved one.
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