Friday, 29 April 2016

Carrolltown Hospice Care Services One May Benefit From

By Gannon G. Hollick


The diagnosis of a terminal illness is, in most cases, very shocking to many patients and their relatives. Many equate such a diagnosis to death and begin to despair. While the primary disease may be incurable, there are associated symptoms that can be managed. If you are living in carrolltown hospice care services may ease the burden of having to take care of the increasingly dependent relative and as well as make sure that they get the best medical care available.

One of the most important roles of a hospice is to ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible. This enables them to continue being in charge of their lives and to make important decisions that are usually required at that point. Any cancer medications prescribed by the doctor continue to be administered to take care of the pain and any other associated symptoms. Side effects related to the medications are managed as well.

There are a number of different arrangements that you can consider. These include home-based care, inpatient care in a healthcare facility or a mixture of both. The choice is determined by a number of factors that include, the stage and type of the illness, distance from a hospital (in case of an emergency) and availability of care givers at home. Advanced and complicated cases should ideally be monitored closely in hospital.

Many of these facilities have a program that manages of spiritual health for their patients. This is important because persons whose time in the world is coming to an end have many questions related to life and whether or not there is an afterlife. With science providing very little in credible solutions, religion remains the only source of hope at this point. Regular visits by religious leaders, use of literature and engagement in fellowships are some of the ways of engaging patients.

A successful program requires that the family of the patient be actively involved. The meetings are usually led by the primary healthcare provider who may either be a doctor or nurse. They update the family on how their patient is responding and suggest ways in which treatment can be improved. The meetings also make it possible for each member of the family to express themselves about the illness.

Cancer treatment is usually intensive and requires a number of varied specialties. There is a need to have a multidisciplinary team that sees the patient on a daily basis to address various aspects of treatment. Some of the members of this team include the doctor, the inpatient facility involved in admissions, the pharmacist, the clergy and so on. This kind of coordination is best done within a hospice since most if not all the specialists needed are available.

Respite care can be provided by a hospice when needed. What this means is that for a period of time (usually a couple of days), the duty of taking care of the patient is taken up entirely by the hospice team and the family gets time off. This allows them to travel for a vacation or special event.

Within months or a couple of years death is bound to strike. Both the patient and their relatives need to be prepared for this event by the hospice. The hospice should ideally provide support during the mourning period through counseling services by a professional counselor or a clergy member. In some instances, the hospice provides a funeral director to help with burial arrangements.




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