Choosing a Hospice Provider
Start your search for a hospice agency by asking your parent’s physician for recommendations. Other helpful sources are geriatric care managers and such Internet Web sites as About.com. Also call the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization HelpLine at 800-658-8898.
Help for the Family
Caregivers are sometimes stunned by the responsibilities that are left to them. A nurse might come once a day to administer medications, but the rest of the treatments might be left to the family. Hospice care patients commonly receive a confusing cluster of drugs, including morphine or other painkillers, as well as anti-anxiety and anti-hallucinatory options. Moreover, the dosages change over time. Administering powerful drugs and knowing when to do so can be intimidating for inexperienced laypeople. Don’t hesitate to call the hospice agency when you are in doubt.
You Need Comforting Too
Hospice counselors will help comfort your parent and answer their questions about their condition. Your parent’s decline over a long period of time has likely exhausted and depressed you. Be sure to let others know what you are feeling and to reach out for help as often as you may need it.
Home Instead’s Role with Hospice
Home Instead Senior Care works closely with our local hospice providers to ensure the best care for clients on the hospice program. We are there to compliment the care that hospice provides, so that when hospice is not present, we are there caring for your loved one and giving them all the attention and care that they deserve. We are available 24/7 and we have cared for many hospice patients. We provide professional care so that the families can relax and be family again.
