When a loved one is reaching the end of his or her life, things can get hard. People in this stage of life often need a great deal of medical care, but in the end, there's not a lot that medical care can do for them. Sometimes you come to realize that it's time to let go. In the meantime, using hospice care to help make your loved one comfortable can be a great thing. It may seem sad, scary, or like you are giving up hope, but there are ways it can benefit both you and the loved one who doesn't have much time left. Some people on hospice can live for another few months, so don't think that hospice care is a death sentence. Instead, try to embrace it and look at all of the positive benefits it can have for you.
Comfort of Home
There are some times when the patient is too ill to return home, or it just isn't possible because of the medical equipment that is required. However, there are many times when people can be taken home to live their last few days, weeks, or months. This can provide them with a much higher level of comfort than what they would receive at any doctor's office, hospital, or nursing home. With hospice, a nurse will often come to administer medicines, give fluids, and check vitals. Having a nurse come to you instead of bringing your loved one to multiple appointments every week or having the person stay in a hospital can help the patient rest much more easily.
It Gives You a Plan
One of the hardest things about the end of a loved one's life is all of the decisions you have to make. It can be difficult to know what medical procedures are best, whether or not a new medication should be tried or if he or she is in the right medical facility. Hospice care can help you develop a plan for action. Just having a plan can help relieve some of the burden you and other close family members may be feeling. This will likely also give the patient on hospice care peace of mind as well.
More Comfortable
Hospice care can do a lot to relieve the pain and discomfort your loved one may feel in those final weeks and months. This can be done through medication that can help ease the pain, which may bring the person relief he or she hasn't felt in months. Every attempt is usually made to help make the patient feel as comfortable as possible. Whether that's through finding the right combination of medicines, bringing a hospital bed into the home, or even cooking up some of the patient's favorite foods, hospice care is a great way to help ensure that your loved one is comfortable and being well taken care of.
It Helps the Family
Not only can hospice care make the patient more comfortable, it can be a useful resource for close family members as well. You may have noticed that even though your loved one is with you, you are already starting to grieve as you think about the future weeks and months. Having that option for counseling can help you navigate through the difficult feelings that are sure to come.
Saying yes to hospice care does not mean you are giving up. It just means you are ready to provide your loved one with the care he or she needs in the end of his or her life. This can be done through:
- Making the patient as comfortable as possible
- Developing a plan of action
- Providing the family of the loved one with counseling and resources for the grieving process
You may be surprised at how much relief hospice care brings you. Try to embrace it and see it as a way to bring your family peace and comfort.
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