You’ve likely heard the term “hospice care” before, but do you really know what it entails and why it’s often considered the gold standard for end-of-life care? As you or your loved one navigates a serious illness, it’s understandable to have questions about what the final months may look like. Hospice care aims to provide comfort, dignity, and the best quality of life possible during this difficult time.

Hospice Provides Comprehensive Comfort Care

Hospice care takes a holistic approach to end-of-life needs by not only tending to medical issues but also providing emotional, spiritual, and practical support. Rather than continuing often painful or invasive treatments, the focus shifts to pain management and maximizing comfort. An interdisciplinary hospice team crafts a customized care plan based on the patient and their family’s wishes and priorities. This comprehensive comfort care provides relief and eases suffering so the patient can make the most of the time they have remaining. According to the Home Best Practices and Future Insights Study, within four hours of the initial hospice referral from the patient’s doctor, 76% of hospice centers admit patients quickly.

Hospice Allows Individuals to Remain at Home

Few people want to spend their final days in a cold, clinical setting. With hospice care, a patient has the option to remain in the comforting familiarity of their own home, surrounded by their belongings, pets, and loved ones. The hospice team comes to the patient and is on call 24/7 to answer questions, manage symptoms, and provide assistance. This allows patients to forgo difficult medical appointments and transfers while still receiving high-quality end-of-life care.

Hospice Provides Support for Loved Ones, Too

The compassionate guidance and multidisciplinary support hospice offers extends beyond the patient to family members as well. As a loved one’s health declines, caregiver stress and grief often run high. Hospice provides resources and a caring presence to help process the emotions that arise during this profoundly difficult season. Support continues for several months after a loved one’s death to guide the family toward healing.

As you contemplate options for yourself or someone you love, consider the specialized care of hospice. The all-encompassing comfort and emotional, practical, and spiritual support that hospice care brings aim to uplift the quality of life and dignity. Hospice care shifts the focus to maximizing comfort and time spent with loved ones instead of continuing often painful or invasive treatments. If you’re looking for hospice care for yourself or your loved one, contact Savior Hospice & Palliative Care today.

Posted 2/27/24

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