When a loved one receives a diagnosis of a terminal illness or when a person’s health is declining and death could happen soon, many patients and their families have questions about what comes next and how to best support and help their loved one, at the same time grappling with their own emotions and the upcoming loss.
Hospice care is specifically designed for these situations and it’s often done in the patient’s home, but can also be done in a nursing facility. The CHP Hospice team works to enhance the goals of the patient and help them live comfortably. They’re in the home to help not only the patient, but also the patient’s family.
Typical diagnoses for hospice patients include, advanced chronic illness, cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, end stage kidney or liver disease.
A Layer of Support
It can be hard to admit that you or a loved one needs hospice. A lot of people think they’re giving up on their family member and there won’t be other treatment.
Every family has unique needs. Hospice provides a layer of support to walk people through the dying process and helps them prepare for and navigate that journey.
Hospice care includes pain and symptom management, emotional support, medications, medical supplies, coaching for caregivers, grief support, and may include special services like speech and physical therapy when needed. Bereavement support services are provided during hospice care and up for up to 13 months after a patient’s death.
CHP Hospice nurses work with the patient’s doctor to prescribe medications for physical conditions like pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. They can also prescribe medications for conditions like anxiety, confusion and agitation, that are common with dementia.
Who Qualifies?
To qualify for hospice, patients may have their physician refer them or families can self-refer their loved one by calling the doctor or CHP Hospice directly. Nurses from CHP will do an evaluation and assessment of the patient, to see if they qualify.
Some patients enroll for only the last few days of their life, but patients can receive hospice care for up to six months. This can be longer if patients qualify for recertification. Patients and families are urged to consider engaging hospice earlier, to get the full benefits of the services.
Sometimes patients may be on hospice briefly, but their health improves and they’re off of hospice care for a time, but then may be on hospice care again later. Hospice is a standard benefit with Medicare and most insurance plans.
An Individual, Holisitic Approach
The CHP Hospice team focuses on each patient’s needs. The team may include nurses, social workers, chaplains who provide non-denominational spiritual support, volunteers, aides, and others if needed. The patient’s personal, primary care physician is also included.
CHP Hospice staff get to know each patient and their family. They view the patient’s life holistically, taking into account all the things that influence their health and wellness, along with their spiritual, psychological, and social needs and integrate that into their care plan.
At Home or at a Nursing Facility
When patients are asked for their preference, they usually say they want to die at home. Patients do best when they are in settings they are familiar with. However, when pain or symptoms become too difficult to manage at home or when caregivers need respite time, the CHP Inpatient Hospice Center in Defiance offers symptom management, residential care, and short-term respite stays.
Hospice may also be delivered through CHP at many local nursing facilities. CHP Hospice nurses are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are specially trained in end-of-life care.
Emotional and Spiritual Support
Emotional and spiritual support and coaching for caregivers is provided by specially-trained CHP social workers and chaplains. They work closely together to determine the unique emotional and psychosocial needs during the dying process.
CHP Hospice also offers grief support services. Grief looks different for everyone. The hospice team meets people where they are in their grief. The dying process is a heavy load for families and staff never want people to feel like they’re going through that alone.
Put End-of-Life Wishes in Writing
All adults, not just those who are terminally ill, are encouraged to complete advance directives to put their wishes for end-of-life care in writing. Filling out those forms and going through that process ahead of time is beneficial for patients and families so they’re not suddenly dealing with a health crisis and an emotional crisis. Forms can be given to your doctor or uploaded into your electronic medical record.
CHP Hospice staff welcome your questions. For more information call 419-238-9223 or your nearest CHP location.
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