A hospice nurse was recently
asked, “How can you work in hospice – it must be so sad!”
She answered, “I love providing
highly-skilled, compassionate care because I know I make a huge difference in the
quality of a person’s life. Hospice isn’t about dying but is about living as
fully as possible despite a life-limiting illness. I love that I can use my
training as a nurse to bring comfort and dignity to my patients, and seeing the
relief on their faces and on the faces of those who care for them. I love being
a part of a professional hospice team that works together to offer
individualized, holistic care to families when it is critically needed. I love
that I can offer practical solutions to patients and families at one of life’s
most challenging moments.”
November is National Hospice and
Palliative Care Month, a time to draw attention and raise awareness of this
special kind of care.
What is Hospice Care
Hospice care provides pain
management, symptom control, psychosocial support, and spiritual care to
patients and their families when a cure is not possible. The nation’s hospices serve more than 1.5
million people every year – and their family caregivers, too.
Hospice care if fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans and HMOs.
Many people only consider hospice care in the final days of life but hospice is ideally suited to care for patients and family caregivers for the final months of life.
What is Palliative Care
Palliative care brings the same
interdisciplinary team care as hospice to people earlier in the course of a
serious illness and can be provided along with other treatments they may still
be receiving from their doctor.
Hospices are the largest
providers of palliative care services and can help answer questions about what
might be most appropriate for a person.
Many hospitals also have palliative care teams available to provide services.
Hospice and palliative care are
available to people of all ages with any serious or life-limiting illness.
Hospice and palliative care
combine the highest level of quality medical care with the emotional and
spiritual support for patients and family caregivers. Hospice and palliative care can may a
profound difference and help maximize the quality of life for all those they
care for.
To learn more and for a free in-home consultation, contact your local Access Hospice Office . You can also visit Caring Connections, a website dedicated to helping those wanting to learn more about hospice and palliative care - www.caringinfo.org.
Home care is one of those things that not too many people think about. If we didn't have home care services, there would be a lot of seniors not getting the proper help they need. It's nice to see that there is a month dedicated to the people who work in this field. http://www.comforcare.com/texas/fort-worth
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