What Is Hospice Care?

Taking care of a loved one at the final stages of life can be challenging for everyone involved. It requires a lot of time, care, compassion, and expertise. Plus, it may be difficult to balance caregiving duties with a career, family, friends, and personal time. If you’ve been caring for a loved one in their final days, you may want to consider hospice care. What is hospice care? More importantly, why do people cherish hospice, and how might it benefit your loved one and family?

Simply put, hospice care is end-of-life care. When an individual reaches the final stages of an illness — organ failure or cancer, for instance — medical professionals often suggest hospice care to help ensure that the person’s final months, weeks, or sometimes days on earth are spent comfortably at home, free of pain and worry. The service is designed to help the individual and their loved ones face the challenges that come with life’s ending. Its main goal is to grant the dying individual peace and dignity. And above all, hospice care professionals focus on comfort, compassion, and quality of life.

Hospice often happens at home.

This is one of the biggest differences between traditional medical care and hospice care. Whereas most medical treatment happens in a doctor’s office or a hospital, hospice care most often takes place in an individual’s home, be it their own house or a nursing home. This ensures that the individual undergoing care is as comfortable as possible. If, for whatever reason, the person can’t receive proper care in their home, a medical professional can recommend a hospice care center.

Hospice care is more than just medical care.

Hospice providers offer support — medical, spiritual, and emotional. After all, facing the end of one’s life brings many diverse challenges that go beyond just medical needs. In addition to receiving medical care from doctors and nurses, you may choose other forms of support. This can include counseling (for the individual, their family, or everyone), music therapy, or spiritual support from a religious leader.

Hospice care is not a cure, nor is it a “last resort.”

Some people believe hospice care means the individual and family are giving up on receiving treatment. However, this is simply not true. When a person suffers from a serious medical condition, it is sometimes more taxing to prolong life by continuing treatment than it is to forgo further treatment and focus on improving quality of life. Many individuals find greater comfort in hospice care than in regular medical treatment, which makes this transition easier for them.

Hospice care gives terminally ill people agency.

Why choose hospice care? When a person’s life is coming to an end, it’s easy for them to feel like they’ve lost all control. Hospice care gives these individuals agency. During hospice care, they are in control of how they spend their remaining time — who cares for and supports them and the type of care they receive. This is important, as it grants the individual dignity and autonomy over their own life.

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Still wondering, “What is hospice care?” Would you like to receive more information regarding end-of-life care for a loved one? If so, get in touch with Phoenix Home Care. Our caregivers and clinicians work with patients in the comfort of their own homes, providing the same level of care they would receive in a traditional facility. We have a team of licensed professionals that serve individuals in four states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. To learn more about our services, get in touch with us at 855-881-7442, or visit us online. We look forward to connecting with you.

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