Why Hospice Care Is a Beneficial, Compassionate Option for Your Loved One
When a loved one is ill or has become frail, the mention of hospice can fill you with fear and sadness. For many, hospice care signals that the fight is over, and all hope is lost. Because of this, people are often hesitant to even talk about hospice care, especially with their loved ones.
The reality is that hospice care is often the most compassionate option for people with life limiting diseases. Let’s take a closer look at what hospice care is and the benefits of this service for your loved one.
What Is Hospice Care?
When a person is diagnosed with a disease or has reached a point where their health is in a state of rapid decline, there’s usually a lot of movement generated towards medical care that’s focused on curing the individual. When a person’s illness or medical condition has advanced to the point that a curative option is not likely, hospice services provide care geared toward improving their quality of life through comfort care.
For families and caretakers, hospice care does not signal the end of the road. Instead, hospice provides an opportunity for the loved one to live out their life with comfort and dignity. To qualify for hospice care, a physician must provide a professional, medical assessment that the patient’s condition is likely to be terminal within 6 months if their condition follows the typical, expected route of progression. There have been cases where patients have been discharged from hospice because their condition improved.
Rather than following a standard protocol of curative care, hospice focuses on creating an individualized plan that includes physical comfort, along with emotional and spiritual support. All these components are important, both for the patient and their family.
Benefits of Hospice Care
When a loved one has a terminal or life limiting illness, you want to consider all the care options and choose the one that is best suited for the patient’s comfort and quality of life. Once you get past the initial perceptions of hospice care, it’s easy to see that it provides many benefits to the patient, some of which include:
- Support: When a patient has been admitted to hospice care, both they and their family have access to medical and emotional support 24/7.
- Dignity: Hospice care provides the opportunity for the patient and their loved ones to come to terms with an end of life situation and allow the patient to leave this life with dignity.
- Comfort: After a long health battle, it’s a relief to have a provider by your side that is primary focused on providing comfort, through medications or medical equipment, and enhancing each moment of the person’s life.
- Less Hospitalizations: Hospice care providers can reduce visits to the hospital, keeping the patient in an environment they feel comfortable and secure in.
- Practical Help: Hospice care providers help caretakers with practical daily tasks, such as bathing, feeding and medicine administration.
Reach Out to Hospice Care in Princeton, WV
When it’s time to make difficult decisions about the care of a loved one, Princeton Health Care Center is here to help. We can answer questions and help you decide on the best course of care for your loved one. Contact Princeton Health Care Center to learn more about our compassionate approach to hospice care today.