Hospice services provide care and comfort services to patients after the treatment of a disease is stopped or the patient no longer sees any viable curative options or has chosen not to pursue further treatment because of the side effects. A serious illness may affect more than the person’s body, it touches all the areas of the person’s life as well as those of his family and friends. Hospice services can address these effects on an individual. Are you setting up a hospice service? Here are five important services your hospice should include.
This article will help readers learn more about the most common hospice services for the elderly or people with serious illnesses.
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Palliative Care, management of physical pain and symptoms.
One of the main goals of hospice care is to help people with serious illnesses feel better. Rather than focusing on curing the patient, hospice care makes the last moments as comfortable as possible. Hospice should provide medicinal regiments and pain-relieving therapy. Palliative care can also go beyond treating pain. It can address symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, loss of appetite, and sleeplessness.
Palliative care is also called comfort care, supportive care, or symptom management. Such care aims to relieve a patient of any discomforts yet keen enough to enjoy themselves, the people around them and make important life decisions. Quality physical care should give the patient control, and allow them and the caregivers to both organize and even take part in their care.
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Personal care, basic bathing, and grooming facilitation.
Hospice aides should be able to fully assist patients in carrying out their daily personal hygiene and grooming. These are the basics that afford any person comfortable throughout the day. Some patients cannot execute many of these basic functions by themselves, trained caregivers should assist
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Spiritual Support and comfort.
Spiritual comfort is very important to a patient at such hard and trying times. Hospices should organize Visits from the chaplain or spiritual guides to provide spiritual closure. Volunteers also should effectively provide additional companionship. Since different people differ in their spiritual needs you should organize to cater to specific needs. This might include talks and reflections, such as the personal meaning of death. Spiritual comfort also involves saying goodbye to loved ones or helping with religious rituals and ceremonies.
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Emotional support and companionship with general social support.
A hospice should organize frequent meetings with the family, friends, and loved ones of the patient. This provides an avenue for them to share their feelings and talk about what is going on. This framework also provides much-needed emotional support. Social support should also ensure the patient shall not lose contact with his or her community
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Medication, medical equipment, and professional services.
Hospice services should provide a dedicated team of skilled medical professionals and a wide range of hospital services. They include medication and medical equipment needed to maintain the patients’ quality of life. Medical supplies used in the control of pain, therapy, and support are made available at either hospice facilities or home in the case of home patient care.
Conclusion.
Hospice services should encompass a wide range of needs for their patients. An all-around approach is needed catering to the physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual needs of a patient. Above all, you should be willing to truly make a difference in an individual’s life at a time when they need it the most.