If you or someone that you love are facing an illness and want to be cared for at home, you may wonder where to turn. Luckily there are a variety of care and support options including hospice and home nursing care available for people who are facing an illness. Hospice and home nursing care may be used for a variety of different health conditions. These care options provide a wide range of services that tend to all the patient’s needs including physical and emotional. They also help patients to live as comfortably as possible. Hospice and home nursing care can provide support for the family and caregivers of the patient. Keep reading to learn more about how hospice and home nursing care and how they can provide a wide range of support for those who are ill.
Hospice
Hospice is a specialized type of care for people who are facing a life-limiting illness. It can also provide support for their families and caregivers. Hospice care is provided by a team of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, home health aides, counselors, pharmacists, volunteers and more. The healthcare team do their best to reduce the pain that the patient is experiencing. The goal of care in hospice is not to cure the disease, but provide the highest level of quality of life for the patient for the time that they do have remaining. Hospice care can help to extend how long a person lives and improve the overall quality of their life. Hospice care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Hospice care may be provided for people who have a wide range of illnesses including cancer, heart disease, dementia, organ failure and more. Hospice care may take place in a person’s home or in a setting that is similar to a home including dedicated hospice facilities, hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Hospice care focuses on a variety of different aspects of patient care including pain, emotional well-being, social needs, psychological needs, spiritual needs and quality of life. Hospice care may include individual counseling, group support, respite care and more.
There are four main levels of care involved in hospice care including routine home care, continuous care, general inpatient care and respite care. Hospice care can help the family care of the terminally ill patient and prepare them for their loved one’s passing.
Home Nursing Care
Home nursing care can allow for a patient to be taken care of in the comfort of their own home by medical professionals. Home nursing care involves a wide range of health services that can help a patient manage their pain, recover and receive the treatment that they require. Home nursing care is generally less expensive than care that would take place in a specialized facility or hospital. It is also far more convenient as patients can receive the care that they require without having to leave their home. This is especially significant in patients who do not have a support system available to take them to and from treatments and patients that have difficulty traveling due to illness or mobility issues.
Home nursing care may provide the following services:
- Wound care
- Patient education
- Caregiver information
- Nutrition therapy
- Intravenous nutrition
- Injections
- Monitoring diseases and health issues
- Monitor breathing, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and more
- Pain management
- Medication administration
- In-home assistance
- Coordinate care with your doctor and support system
Home nursing care can provide you and your family with the tools, support, education, treatment and services you need during times of illness or recovery.