Hospice care exists to provide patients with dignity and comfort at the end of their lives. Therefore, hospice care most commonly takes place in the patient’s home. Patients feel most comfortable surrounded by their belongings, familiar routines, and loved ones. While the hospice care team will do everything in their power to provide the best care possible, sometimes patients need more than what they can provide. When that happens, patients may get sent to an inpatient hospice center.
Inpatient hospice intends to offer a temporary solution for most patients. That is, once patients receive the care they need and their condition stabilizes, they get sent home. The conditions for which patients need inpatient care usually require 24-hour monitoring or new medications.
Comforting sickness and ailments
Mundane executions, solutions and stories
Patients suffering from uncontrollable seizures, vomiting, nausea, or pain will need a new combination of medicine that requires a physician’s expertise. Patients with respiratory distress, sudden deterioration, unmanageable restlessness, or regular dressing changes may also become eligible for inpatient care.
Another type of inpatient care that some patients may get placed in is called respite care. When hospice care takes place at home, family members turn into caregivers. The hospice care team provides vital services, such as monitoring the patient and filling prescriptions, but usually, many caregiving responsibilities fall to the immediate family. Family members, though, also deserve a break from caregiving so that they can avoid burnout. Respite care exists for families to take necessary breaks from caregiving while ensuring that patients receive all the care they need.
Regular responsibilities, respites and families
Social workers and nurses may recommend respite care for families who juggle many responsibilities so that they can rest and recharge. Families must remember that even when a patient gets placed in inpatient care, their role in supporting the patient is critical. Loved ones still get consulted and informed about medical decisions, and they are encouraged to visit and stay over when possible. Many of the facilities that At Home Hospice and Palliative Care manages and works with are intentionally cozy so that patients and families can feel comfortable staying there as long as necessary. The care team remains interdisciplinary and comprehensive in these facilities, so don’t be shy about asking questions or raising concerns.
