Choosing hospice for your loved one is difficult, but it is also an act of love and care. When someone receives a terminal illness diagnosis, it is natural to feel overwhelmed and lost about how to handle the coming weeks or months.
The Wings of Hope team is here to help you through this challenging time.
Hospice is not always a final decision by relatives. It may be a personal choice someone makes after alternative treatments or attempts to extend their lifespan are ineffective. Others may elect to enter hospice care rather than look for additional treatment options.
In any situation, choosing quality hospice comfort care can bring both you and your loved one comfort, support, and peace of mind as you transition through this period. In order to find the best quality hospice care, we have several recommendations that can help you make the right decision.
Benefits of Hospice Care
The purpose of hospice and palliative care is to offer patients a safe, soothing, comfortable environment as they reach the end of their lives. Friends and family members are also taken into consideration as they are working through their own confusion, sadness, and grief.
Hospice care centers should prioritize the entire circle of care surrounding a person who is entering their services. This includes loved ones who may have been caregivers, friends, and anyone who shares a bond with the patient and wishes to be with them before they pass on.
A Comfortable Environment
Quality hospice care offers a comfortable, reassuring environment for both the patients and their loved ones. We want you to have peace of mind that your loved one will be cared for and always in the most comfortable, supportive space possible. This means adapting environments to feel more natural and less clinical. Palliative care environments should provide a nurturing environment that does not make someone feel like merely a patient. Instead, they deserve to be tended to and cared for through a personalized plan. Every detail of their stay should be focused on giving them the highest quality of life.
For loved ones who may have formerly been caregivers, seeing your relative enter hospice can induce feelings of grief, despair, and even a personal sense of failure. But know that their diagnosis is by no means a reflection of your abilities. You would never choose for them to be in this position—but you can choose to give them an environment equipped with the staff, resources, and services they need to be as comfortable and content as possible.
At Wings of Hope, we provide both in-home and out-of-home hospice care. This is to ensure that a person’s wishes are respected, and they are able to receive our services in the environment that is most comfortable to them.
Supportive Therapies
Patients in hospice care can receive continuous care and therapies when appropriate. Physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as well as mental health counseling, can help someone stay as pain-free and communicative as possible throughout their stay. Special therapies are also available to provide emotional comfort, such as music, massage, and dog therapy.
Spiritual support is also available to respect each family’s personal beliefs. Many people who are reaching the end of their lives begin to seek spiritual counseling, and it is important to provide comfort through faith whenever it is wanted.
Family members can also benefit from the emotional and spiritual support of hospice staff.
Medication and Coordinated Care Management
If your loved one requires medication or medical equipment during their palliative care, a quality hospice provider can ensure all of these needs are met. Medication and equipment will be provided as needed, and it can either be administered at a facility or incorporated into an at-home hospice care plan.
Respite Care
Caregivers and loved ones coping with the diagnosis often need space to rest and emotionally recharge. Respite care services are available to help families cope during this difficult time. They also have access to educational resources that can connect them with support groups and organizations tailored to their unique grief and loss. Because grief is shared and expressed differently, it is important for every member to have mental health support that feels natural and beneficial to them.
When Is It Time for Hospice?
It is never easy to admit when a loved one needs hospice care. In some ways, you may feel as though you’re “giving up” on them rather than seeking ways to save them. It is important not to take complete responsibility for their illness. No matter how much you care for them, how much you sacrifice, and how intensely you search for solutions, some illnesses are unable to be cured.
When a person’s illness progresses to a point where relieving symptoms is more important than curing them, it is best to consider hospice as an option. It is also important to acknowledge when a person’s disease or illness has so negatively impacted their quality of life that they are unable to live as they would like anymore.
During such a conflicting, uncertain time, reaching out to a hospice care provider can provide some comfort and guidance on possible next steps.
Ultimately, the focus is on bringing as much comfort and care to the loved one as possible, while also offering support for their family.
Tips for Choosing a Hospice Care Provider
Hospice care comes in many variations. Some are available within hospitals; others are private facilities. Others offer home-based palliative care that lets people receive all the treatment and therapies they need in their own home.
- Look for personalized plans. Customized care solutions are a vital part of providing the highest quality hospice care. Wings of Hope offers comprehensive care packages bespoke to each family’s unique situation.
- Consider insurance coverage. Opt for a Medicare-covered or insurance-covered provider to prevent any undue financial stress during this time.
- Explore their philosophy. Make sure that the hospice provider you choose has an approach to palliative care rooted in dignity, empathy, and support. It is important that you and your loved one feel wholly cared for and included throughout the hospice care plan.
If you would like to learn more about Wings of Hope’s hospice care services in Phoenix, AZ, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
Please also consider exploring our resource library, which you can read at your own pace to learn more about hospice, palliative care, and caregiving.
