Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Carrolltown Hospice Care Services One May Benefit From

By Gannon G. Hollick


The diagnosis of terminal illnesses should never be taken as a death sentence. Indeed persons with such illnesses should be treated like any other patients and should receive the best medical care available. This ensures that they increase both the quality and the quantity of what is left of their lives in the world. There are a number of Carrolltown hospice care services patients should know about if they have been diagnosed with such an illness.

The main role of a hospice is to make sure that patients are as comfortable as possible during their twilight days. The treatment that is provided should be focused on managing pain and any other unpleasant symptoms. One should bear in mind that many of them have to make important personal and family decisions at this time hence should be free from mental and physical stresses that may make this process difficult.

There are several options that you can consider once you make up your mind to enroll a loved one into a hospice. One of the types is one in which most of the care is provided at home. The second type is where the patient is admitted indefinitely to a facility as an inpatient. Most people choose a combination of the two so that the patient spends most of the time at home and is only admitted in case of complications.

Spiritual nourishment is another benefit that one may get. As death draws nearer by the day, many people begin to worry and ask questions about what happens after they are gone. Science also cannot satisfactorily provide answers to questions about the afterlife; religion does offer some hope. Most hospices have a spiritual leader and literature to help patients with their religious well-being.

Family meetings are usually scheduled regularly by the hospice. The meetings are typically led by the primary care giver (either the nurse or the doctor). The caregiver updates the family members on the progress that has been made and informs them on ways in which treatment can be optimized. Family members also get an opportunity to engage with the patient and to provide encouragement.

Cancer treatment is usually intensive and requires a number of varied specialties. There is a need to have a multidisciplinary team that sees the patient on a daily basis to address various aspects of treatment. Some of the members of this team include the doctor, the inpatient facility involved in admissions, the pharmacist, the clergy and so on. This kind of coordination is best done within a hospice since most if not all the specialists needed are available.

Respite care may be provided for those that chose the home-based arrangement. What this means is that relatives are relieved of the duties of taking care of the patient for some time so that they can have an opportunity to engage in other activities. Such may include vacations, weddings, traveling and so on. During this period, the patient is accommodated in an in-patient facility.

In the fullness of time it all comes to an end and we have to face death. An ideal hospice should help relatives plan for this eventuality. This may be done by including a funeral director in the management process when death is imminent. Clergy members or professional guidelines can also be contracted to provide their services to the patient and the relatives.




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