Five Ways Hospice Can Help
The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain-free as possible. The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient’s death experience reflects their wishes. Here are five ways that hospice helps to deliver this.
Hospice gives you comfort. Hospices are experts at managing life- limiting illness. The hospice team ensures that medication, therapies and treatments all support a care plan that is centered on the patient’s goals. And hospice services can be offered wherever the patient calls home, allowing friends and family to visit freely—something they might not be able to do in a hospital ICU setting.
Hospice gives you peace. Beyond physical relief, hospice strives to help patients and families find emotional and spiritual comfort during what is often a very traumatic time. Hospice organizations can provide families with counselors, therapists, spiritual care advisors and bereavement professionals who can best support their struggles with death and grieving. These services are part of the hospice benefit, covered by Medicare, Medicaid or most private insurances.
Hospice gives you something extra. Hospice is not only about compassionate medical care and control of pain. Music therapists inspire joy; legacy writers share your story; wishes come true.
Hospice gives caregivers guidance. Most families are not prepared to face the death of a loved one. In addition to caring for patients, hospice also provides emotional support and advice to help family members become confident caregivers. Grief support is provided at the end of their mission, and offered up to 13 months to help loved ones learn new ways to care for themselves while they grieve.
Hospice gives you more. Be it more joy, more love, or more quality of life in general, the goal of hospice is to offer patients the ability to enjoy the time they have remaining, to help families restore relationships, and to help patients create meaningful memories—a legacy if you will, to help loved ones remember them with joy.
Hospice offers more moments of life.