How Home Care Complements Hospice Care
November is National Home Care & Hospice Month. While the two are celebrated together, there’s actually quite a difference between them. In fact, many people find it helpful to have both services at once for older family members who are seriously ill.
Home Care in Lowell MI: How Home Care Complements Hospice Care
About Hospice Care.
Hospice care is a wonderful service available to people who are nearing the end of their life. Usually doctors refer patients to hospice care when treatments are no longer effective. The objective of hospice is to improve the senior’s quality of life. It helps them to control symptoms, so they can live as comfortably as possible while they focus on spending time with the people they love.
To provide patients with the care they need, hospice uses an entire team of people. Some people that might be part of the team are:
- Doctors.
- Nurses.
- Social Workers.
- Counselors.
- Chaplains.
- Home health aides.
- Trained volunteers.
Hospice has different levels of care from care at home to staying in a hospice facility. The team works with the patient and their family to determine what kind of care is needed. They also provide medications for controlling pain as well as necessary medical equipment. Counseling is also available to the patient’s family members to help them deal with grief.
Why Home Care May Still Be Needed.
Hospice is a wonderful service and can do a lot to help terminally ill older adults. However, there are also several services they don’t offer for people who remain at home. For one thing, hospice does not provide round-the-clock care to seniors who continue to live at home. This is where home care can complement hospice care.
Home care providers can be hired to stay with the senior at any time of the day or night to manage their non-medical needs. Some things that home care providers can do that are typically not offered by hospice are:
- Assistance with household tasks, such as cooking and cleaning.
- Help eating.
- Dressing.
- Toileting assistance.
- Bathing or showering.
- Daily grooming (brushing teeth, combing hair, shaving, etc.)
- Meaningful activities to prevent boredom. Home care can read to the older adult, do puzzles with them, play cards, make crafts, etc.
- Transportation.
- Overnight care.
Home care can be scheduled to assist your aging relative as much or as little through the week as needed. You can use home care providers to fill in gaps in the senior’s care calendar when family members cannot be with them. This way, you can ensure they need never be alone and have all the assistance they need.
If you or someone you know needs help with home care in Lowell, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/hospice-care#1
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