Deciding on hospice care for a loved one can be a difficult decision, but it can improve the quality of life for their remaining days. As we explore the benefits of hospice care and its comfort-focused treatment, we’ll also look at how Aleca can help when you are looking for Scottsdale hospice care.
What is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is a particular type of care that focuses on providing comfort and emotional support for people nearing their final days of life rather than medications to slow or cure their illness.[1] When people enter hospice care, attempts to cure their illnesses have stopped. A doctor may observe that a patient has six months or less to live without medical intervention, or a patient may decide to stop treatments that create a poor quality of life.[2] Either one of these scenarios is what typically leads a patient into hospice care.
Hospice care can be provided to patients wherever they are staying. Patients will receive the same level of comfort-centered care, whether at the hospital, a nursing home, a private residence, or a hospice facility. A patient’s hospice team usually consists of:
- Registered nurse
- Physician
- Social Worker
- Spiritual Counselor
- Trained Volunteers
To qualify for hospice care, a patient must meet specific medical criteria and have a doctor’s referral. If certain conditions are met, Medicare Part A will cover hospice care.[3]
It’s important to understand that receiving hospice care does not mean giving up. It means you want to live as comfortably as possible or wish that for a loved one.
Benefits of Receiving Hospice Care
Since hospice care focuses on making patients comfortable, there are many benefits for patients and their loved ones.
Pain Management
While medications to help slow down a person’s illness are not administered during hospice care, medications to help with pain management are. This prevents patients from suffering, and their final days are comfortable. With proper and supervised pain management, patients can have the best quality of life and the respect they deserve.
Longer Lifespan
Even with diseases that have no cure, studies show that terminally ill patients who receive hospice care can live longer than patients who do not receive hospice care.[4] This is because they receive pain and symptom management during hospice care, and the focus is on them.
Time with Loved Ones
Rather than spending time on treatments, patients can spend their final days with their loved ones. The precious time that hospice care provides is something that many families cherish long after their loved ones have passed. Whether sitting quietly or reminiscing about cherished memories, families have this time to themselves.
Reduce Stress
Hospice care can help reduce stress by letting patients know that there will be no more painful treatments or attempts to extend a poor quality of life. When patients know this, they can have the necessary peace of mind to enjoy their final days.
Caregiver Respite
Besides helping the patient, hospice care also benefits caregivers and loved ones by providing much-needed respite care. This gives loved ones a break to gather their thoughts or take a timeout for their mental health. Respite care is essential for family members as they work through their emotions during this difficult time.
Spiritual Support
For those who seek it, hospice care also provides spiritual support for all denominations. This can provide comfort for patients and loved ones as they come to terms with what is happening. Chaplains and other spiritual support staff are on hand for many different services.
Social workers are also available to speak to patients and staff as they work through this difficult time. Sometimes, having a neutral party to speak with is most beneficial.
Seek Phoenix Hospice Care with Aleca
Aleca provides the hospice care you can rely on in the greater Phoenix area. Our compassionate team of nurses, doctors, and volunteers is committed to providing the comfort-focused treatment hospice care is known for. Our team offers the compassion you and your loved ones need during this emotional time.
Patients who receive our hospice care have a variety of illnesses, including:
- Cardiac disease
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Cancer
- Advanced Neurological Disease
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Stroke
Contact us today to learn more about how our professional team of healthcare providers can give your loved one the hospice care they deserve.
Sources:
[1] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21673-hospice
[2] https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care#hospice
[3] https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17349493/
Dan is Vice President, Marketing of the Alumus family of companies. A Seattle native, he earned his BA in Humanities and Political Science at Evergreen State College. He started his career as a newspaper columnist, eventually transitioning into marketing and tech writing for Microsoft and several other startups. He later launched a successful creative agency focused on branding, digital marketing, and content production in Los Angeles, where he worked for several nursing and behavioral health clients, eventually becoming the National Marketing Director for one of them.
He has taught Vipassana mindfulness meditation and MBSR and spends whatever free time he has with his son snowboarding, hiking, and camping in the mountains.