Here's What To Expect After Admitting Your Loved One In To End-Of-Life Hospice Care
Your loved one deserves the best care possible as they reach the end of their life, and hospice care can provide them with everything they need to stay comfortable and safe. Here is what to expect after admitting your loved one into a hospice care service:
Handling The Admissions Process
Your loved one will need to be admitted into the hospice care program you've chosen before care of any kind can actually start being administered. You can expect to fill out some paperwork and provide the hospice facility with your loved one's medical records.
Your hospice care provider will also sit down with you and your loved one to learn exactly what kinds of services will be needed based on your specific home situation and your loved one's particular health circumstances. They will use the information you give them about your family to create a personalized healthcare plan for your loved one.
Choosing a Care Location
Your loved one does not have to spend their last days in a hospital environment if they'd prefer to spend their time in the comfort of their own home. Therefore, it's important to spend some time talking with your loved one to find out where they would be most comfortable.
Make a list together of all the pros and cons of staying home or moving to a hospital environment. Meet with your hospice care provider to gain some expert insight and guidance that can be used to decide where your loved one will be cared for until they pass away. You can also tour the hospital facility and spend time in a room like the one your loved one would live in to see what it would be like before making a final decision.
Dealing With The Final Days
You can expect a hospice care specialist to be by your loved one's side 24 hours a day during the final week or two of their life. As soon as your loved one starts showing signs of weakening, your service provider will schedule around the clock care and adjust medication levels to keep your loved one comfortable.
Your service provider will also be there to provide bereavement support for your family and to help you handle plans for a cremation or burial, so you won't have to worry about making sure that all of your loved one's needs will be met during their final hours living on Earth. And you won't be left to figure out how to pick up the pieces alone after the passing of your loved one.