Do you have a loved one who is about to go on Hospice Care? If so, it can raise many questions as to how your day-to-day life will progress. One of the most regular questions from caregivers is, “what do I do now?”. The best answers to this question will unfold once Hospice Care is in place and you see how things progress. Caregivers still provide a vital role in their family member’s or client’s lives.
What to Know About Hospice Care and Caregiving
Hospice Care is NOT a substitute for a caregiver.
Many people mistakenly believe that once Hospice Care is initiated, there is no longer a role for the caregiver. Not only is this untrue, Hospice Care will not commence until the family has established that some form of caregiving service will be available 24-hours a day. Hospice is an amazing end-of-life service and will involve a network of people, including healthcare professionals, grief counselors, spiritual advisers, a social worker, etc. But these individuals come in, do their jobs and leave. A caregiver is still required to assist with the normal day-to-day chores and caregiving needs. These services can be provided by a spouse, family members, professional caregivers, or a combination of them all.
Hospice does not provide 24-hour medical care.
In most cases, a home health nurse will be checking in daily once an individual is placed on Hospice. However, the nurse will train family members to take care of any daily medical tasks, certain injections, dressing changes, geriatric massage, etc., that may be required throughout the day or night. Hospice can also train family members on how to help your loved one turn over in bed, move from the bed to a chair or wheelchair, bathe, etc. If any of these tasks are too physically demanding, Hospice requires you to have a caregiver on hand who can help you with these tasks.
Caregiving tasks can be many and varied.
Many of the services provided by caregivers during Hospice are dedicated to companionship, errand running, housekeeping, meal preparation and other tasks that may be too difficult for family members to tend to around their other family and work responsibilities. Hiring a professional caregiver, even if it is only a few days a week, allows loved ones to spend as much quality time as possible with each other, without having to divide themselves between the patient and mundane daily tasks.
You may decide caregiving services are required at night.
Often, our clients have family members who take turns in shifts during the day and use caregiving services for the later evening and nighttime hours. This can be of benefit for patients who require medications at night, or who suffer from insomnia and want to have company or be read to without disturbing their sleeping partners or family members. Overnight home care services can be invaluable because it allows you and other caregivers to get the rest you need without having to worry about the well-being of your loved one.
Respite caregiving services can be a lifesaver.
Respite care services are one of the most underused services available from professional home care services. You can hire a caregiver to fill in for an hour, a day, a week or a month. This allows the regular caregivers to have time off to tend to their own needs, take a vacation, or to attend appointments and social gatherings.
Interested in learning more about how Hospice Care affects caregiving? Contact HomeAid Home Care.
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