It can be very difficult to come to terms with the fact that someone you deeply care about faces a terminal illness. Engaging your loved ones and learning about the disease while juggling their medical care can all be a little too much at once.
As such, choosing to transition your loved one to hospice care can be an emotional and difficult decision, especially if you have a little understanding of how hospice works and the available options you might have.
What Is Hospice Care
Despite what many people think, hospice isn’t an actual place, nor is it solely meant for the elderly. Hospice provides care, comfort, and hope for people dealing with a terminal illness, usually with a life expectancy of 6 months or less.
Hospice care can be provided in a hospital, nursing home, or at home, and it helps patients and their families spend more time together and experience a much higher quality of life. While most hospice services can be accredited, not all of them are the same. How they provide end-of-life care services varies.
To help you find the best hospice care like Inspire Hospice Care for your loved one, here is a list of 5 qualities you should look for in hospice care.
1. 24/7 Assistance
A good hospice should have staff available round the clock to quickly address any urgent situations that may come up with the patients. Whether the call is made at 1 a.m. or 1 p.m., the hospice should have a team ready on-call, even on holidays.
2. Highly Trained Staff Available
Experience in the healthcare sector counts for a lot, including hospice care. Therefore, the available staff needs to have the proper training and qualifications in palliative medicine or nursing to provide their patients with the best level of care.
3. Possible Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
Medicare’s hospice benefits should ideally cover all the costs related to terminal illness, from grief counselling to doctor and nursing care. However, there may be a small amount you might have to pay for certain services such as respite care which you need to take into account before settling on a hospice.
4. The Location
Since hospice can be provided from any location, what you need to consider is not the location of your home but rather the location of the agency’s nurses.
You have to factor in how far away the on-call nurses are based and how large of an area they cover to determine how responsive they will be to your loved one’s needs.
5. The Services Provided
Many hospices provide the same basic care services. However, you need to find out if there are any differences between hospice care providers that might make one a better choice than the other.
Choosing the Right Hospice Care Provider Matters
Many Americans pass on in nursing homes and hospitals receiving care that is not aligned with their wishes. For this reason, family members need to plan ahead.
You need to factor in the qualities highlighted above to make sure you find an excellent hospice program for your loved one. Note that families of people who have received care from a hospice program are often more satisfied with end-of-life care provided to their loved ones.