(443) 745-6115Hospice is a very important decision that may come at the end of your loved one’s life. It may be the most difficult decision you ever make, so today we’re going to be talking about it today in a little more depth. The goal here being so you can understand hospice a little more before the time comes.
What is Hospice?
Hospice is when treatment shifts from a curative focus to a palliative focus. The focus becomes not to cure or remove the disease, but to alleviate the pain the patient is in and to help them pass with dignity.
The teams trained to handle hospice care are compassionate and supportive staff who will attend to your loved one’s final days along side you. The people who make up the hospice team may be chaplains, registered nurses, aides, social workers, a physician, and bereavement services managers.
Hospice is not about giving up. It is about giving your loved one a way to live out the remainder of their life with comfort, dignity, and peace. It’s not a place, but an approach to your loved one’s care.
Why Turn to Hospice Care?
Hospice care is for people who have less than six months to live. It is for patients who are experiencing an increase in pain to the point where their quality of life is severely affected. Accompanying weight-loss and an overall decline may also open the conversation to begin hospice.
Hospice is an option for a patient who is very sick and unlikely to recover. Though it is often associated with cancer patients, it can be helpful for a variety of patients who suffer from diseases like Parkinson’s Multiple Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, congestive heart failure, COPD, or Alzheimer’s/Dementia.
If you believe your loved one may benefit from hospice care, we can work with you to find the right program.
Going Beyond Patient Care
Along with caring for the patient, hospice programs also offer counseling and resources for the family of the patient. There may also be legal and financial guidance for family members who may have questions about what will happen after the patient passes on. Chronic and fatal diseases are very difficult to deal with—but you don’t have to handle it alone.
Kenwood Care Accommodates Hospice Care for Residents
As you look for an assisted living home for your loved one, you need to find a place that can care for them through the changes which may befall them. When you work with Kenwood Care, we will make sure your loved one is cared for from the time they come to us until the time they leave.
If you’d like to learn more about how our facilities can meet your loved one’s needs, contact us today.
