In-Home Hospice Care: What You Need to Know
Compassionate end-of-life care provided in the comfort of your own home
If one of your loved ones lives with a terminal illness, you may have begun considering hospice care. But what if your loved one doesn’t want to spend their final months in a hospital, clinic, or nursing home? In-home hospice care could be the answer they’re looking for.
Hospice care focuses on providing care and comfort to individuals with limited time to live (usually six months or less). During hospice, all treatment of the illness stops, and instead, the multidisciplinary team focuses on providing medical, emotional, physical, or spiritual support to the patient. The goal is to make their final months as comfortable as possible.
While the benefits of hospice care are widely recognized, you may have concerns about the location of hospice care. The fact is most of us do not want to die in a hospital, and research shows that over 80% of Americans surveyed would prefer to die at home.
For this reason, Valir Health offers in-home hospice services to the Oklahoma City, OK community. Rather than moving your loved one into a dedicated hospice facility, we’ll bring care to their home. Our integrated team of caregivers will regularly visit to ensure your loved one’s needs are met.
Keep reading to learn more about in-home hospice care, or call us to schedule a consultation appointment. We’re happy to answer any questions you have.
Understanding Hospice Care
The underlying philosophy of hospice care is that someone with a life-limiting illness deserves to live their final months in comfort and peace rather than fighting a losing battle with either their illness or the illness’s aggressive treatments.
Sometimes, a person enters hospice because their doctor believes they have six months or less to live. Other times, someone enters hospice because they have chosen to forgo debilitating treatments. In either case, the patient stops all illness-related treatments, although they do not necessarily stop all medications. For example, a patient with high blood pressure would remain on blood pressure medication, as it contributes to the overall comfort during their time in hospice.
During hospice, a multidisciplinary team of caregivers tends to the patient’s comfort and needs. Here are some of the services provided:
- Symptom relief
- Assistance with daily tasks (such as bathing or dressing)
- Companionship
- Spiritual guidance
- Counseling for both the patient and their families
- Assistance navigating bereavement and end-of-life wishes
In-home hospice care provides the same services as hospice offered through a dedicated facility. The only difference is that services are provided in the patient’s home, allowing greater flexibility and more involvement from their family.
The Benefits of In-Home Hospice Care
While the obvious benefit of in-home hospice care is that the patient can live their final days in a familiar setting, it also provides other benefits. A significant one is that in-home hospice offers the same comprehensive, multidisciplinary care as a hospice in a dedicated facility, such as the following:
- 24-hour phone access to nurses or doctors in case of an emergency
- Daily visits from hospice-certified nurses to monitor symptoms and provide necessary care
- Regular visits from other care team members, such as physical therapists, counselors, chaplains, and doctors
However, in-home hospice tends to be more personalized to the patient’s needs and schedule. In a hospice clinic, patients live in a shared space, so care tends to be slightly more standardized by necessity. Your loved one might have to follow a schedule that doesn’t suit their needs or wait on care from the on-call attendants.
With in-home care, your loved one is the only patient, so they’ll have more flexibility in their daily routine. They can follow their own schedule, making spending time with family and other loved ones easier–itself another benefit of in-home hospice care.
In fact, greater family involvement is another common reason someone might choose in-home hospice. Perhaps your loved one prefers to have a family member as a regular caregiver, or perhaps they simply want more opportunities to visit with friends and other loved ones. The flexibility of in-home care makes this much more manageable.
That said, one of the drawbacks of in-home hospice care is that it can place a heavy burden on familial caregivers. Fortunately, because Valir Health also offers facility-based hospice care services, in-home patients can spend a week or two in our facility.
Your loved one will receive the same comprehensive care in our hospice clinic, allowing you to go on a vacation, spend time with your own family, or simply take time for your own self-care. You’ll have peace of mind that your loved one is in excellent hands.
Contact Us With Any Questions
The decision to enter hospice can be a difficult one. Knowing your loved one can choose either facility-based hospice or in-home hospice might help make that decision a little easier.
To learn more about Valir Health’s in-home hospice care services, call us to schedule an appointment today.