Hospice Care Services
Compared to Medical Treatment | Levels of Care
Hospice care has several elements that set it apart from other health care. Typically, an interdisciplinary health care team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, home health aides, clergy, therapists, and trained volunteers care for you, offering support based on their particular areas of expertise. Together, they provide comprehensive palliative care aimed at relieving symptoms and giving social, emotional and spiritual support.
| Pain and Symptom Control |
Spiritual Care |
- The objective of pain and symptom control is to help you to achieve comfort while allowing you to remain in control of your life.
- Side effects are managed to ensure that you are as free of pain and symptoms as possible, yet still alert enough to make important decisions.
- To learn more on this topic, please see the American Cancer Society document, Pain Control: A Guide for People with Cancer and Their Families..
|
- Hospice care emphasizes the spiritual needs of you and your family. Since people differ in their spiritual needs and religious beliefs, spiritual care is individualized to meet you and your family's needs and may include helping you to look at what death means to you, to say good-bye, or to perform a specific religious ceremony or ritual.
- To learn more on this topic, please see the American Cancer Society document, Spirituality and Prayer.
|
| Home Care and Inpatient Care |
Respite Care |
- Although hospice care can be centered in the home, it may be necessary to be admitted to a hospital, extended-care facility, or a hospice inpatient facility.
- The hospice can arrange for inpatient care and will stay involved in your treatment and with your family, resuming in-home care when appropriate.
- To learn more on this topic, please see the American Cancer Society document, Home Care.
|
- While you are in hospice, your family and caregivers may need some time away from the intensity of care-giving. Hospice service offers them a break through respite care, which is provided in 5-day periods.
- You will be cared for either in the hospice facility or in contracted beds in nursing homes or hospitals.
- Families can plan a mini-vacation, attend special events, or simply get much-needed rest and recreation at home while you are cared for in an inpatient setting.
|
| Family Conferences |
Bereavement Care |
- Through regularly scheduled family conferences, often facilitated by the hospice nurse or social worker, family members can stay informed about your condition and what to expect.
- Family conferences also provide a chance to share feelings, talk about expectations, and learn about death and the process of dying.
- Family members can find great support and stress relief through family conferences.
|
- Bereavement is the time of mourning following a loss. The hospice care team works with surviving family members to help them through the grieving process.
- A trained volunteer, clergy member, or professional counselor provides support to survivors through visits, phone calls, and/or letter contact, as well as through support groups.
|
| Volunteers |
Staff Support |
- Hospice volunteers play an important role in planning and giving hospice care in the United States.
- Volunteers may be health professionals or lay people who provide services ranging from hands-on care to working in the hospice office or fundraising.
|
- Hospice care involves staff who are empathetic, good communicators and listeners, and who are interested in working with people who have life-threatening illnesses.
- Because the work can be emotionally draining, it is essential that support is available to help staff deal with the work-related stress that they may experience.
- Ongoing education about the dying process is also an important part of staff support.
|
| Coordination of Care |
|
- The interdisciplinary team coordinates and supervises all care 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This team is responsible for communicating between the inpatient facility, the home care agency, the physician, and other community professionals, such as pharmacists, clergy, and funeral directors.
|
|