Choosing Hospice
"This is not it, this is not the end."
Hospice provides many benefits that aren’t possible in a traditional health-care setting. Hospice means:
A coming together with family
Through hospice, the family is directly involved in making decisions and in helping the person they love. Hospice serves the family as a unit and is sensitive to any special needs.
Greater control for patients
hospice enables people with terminal illnesses to make decisions about how and where they want to spend the rest of their lives. It can also help them make choices about Advance Directives.
Physical Needs
Patients are made more comfortable through:
- Pain and symptom relief
- Changes in body position
- Attention to personal hygiene and many other important details
A goal of hospice is to help patients use their physical abilities as fully as possible.
Social needs
Though seriously ill people may not be as active as they used to be, hospice can help them enjoy:
- Eating favorite foods
- Listening to music
- Sharing time with family and friends
- Being well dressed and well groomed
Hospice can also help with practical issues, such as putting financial matters in order.
Emotional Needs
Hospice helps patients cope with loneliness, isolation and fear. Patients are:
- Treated so that they know they’re still important to others
- Given honest, compassionate answers to their questions
- Encouraged to express how they think and feel.
Hospice also helps families and friends express their emotions.
Spiritual Needs
Hospice recognizes the importance of spiritual matters. Patients and their families can get support from:
- Their own spiritual leader
- A chaplain, who may be part of the hospice team
Pain Control
One of the major fears of the seriously ill is the fear of pain. In hospice, the goal is to achieve control over pain, without impairing alertness.
Living life fully
Hospice helps patients achieve physical and emotional comfort so that they can concentrate on living. Patients are urged to stay active for as long as they’re able.
Care at home
Usually, family or friends care for patients at home, amid familiar surroundings and loved ones. Care at home can help patients and families draw closer and enrich their lives. It can also help relatives and friends become less frightened about death.
Treating patients and loved ones as a unit
When someone has a terminal illness, his or her loved ones also feel pain. Hospice provides relief to a caregiver who may neglect their own needs while caring for their loved one.
