Hospice Care at Home
Have you or a loved one recently received a terminal diagnosis? Have you decided to stop treatments that could extend your life, or have they stopped working? Hospice care at home can help you live your final days as comfortably as possible, managing pain and other symptoms.
Understanding In-Home Hospice Care
What is in-home hospice care? Who provides hospice care at home? What are the types of hospice care? How do I know if I qualify for in-home hospice care?
Here are the answers you need to help you decide whether hospice care at home is right for you or your loved one.
What Is Home-Based Hospice Care?
At-home hospice care, also called end-of-life care, is care aimed at increasing the comfort and quality of life for people who have less than 6 months to live and have stopped treatments that could extend the length of their life such as dialysis, chemotherapy, or radiation.
To qualify for hospice care at home, a hospice doctor and your doctor (if you have one) must certify that you’re terminally ill and have a life expectancy of 6 months or less.
How Does In-Home Hospice Care Work?
With hospice care at home, the patient has a primary caregiver, usually a friend or family member. In addition, the patient will have a team that works together to meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. This team may include a doctor, nurse, counselor, home health aide, social worker, chaplain (if you’re religious), and trained volunteers [1].
“When someone enters into hospice care, they are asked to pick someone to be their primary caregiver…[who] works with the hospice team and patient to develop a care plan based on the patient's specific needs and preferences. The primary caregiver continues to be the main person to help make decisions for the patient throughout the length of hospice care.”
Hospice care is intended to make the end of your life as pain-free and comfortable as possible while also helping your family members through their grief process.
Providing exceptional Hospice Home Care Services for seniors and families in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and San Diego County.
Home Hospice Benefits and What’s Included in Hospice Treatment
Home hospice has many benefits, all of which are tailored to your specific needs. Some benefits of in-home hospice include [3]:
- Services from a physician or nurse practitioner
- Nursing care
- Homemaker services
- Physical therapy
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Occupational therapy
- Dietary counseling
- Drugs to manage pain and symptoms
- Medical social services
- Speech-language pathology services
- Spiritual counseling
- Individual and family grief and loss counseling before and after the patient’s death
“Evidence from large observational studies demonstrate that hospice care can improve outcomes directly and support better and more appropriate health care use for people in the last stages of cancer. Team-based community hospice care has measurable benefits for patients, their family caregivers, and health services.”
We also provide Hospice Care at Home for seniors and families in La Jolla, Del Mar, San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Tustin and Manhattan Beach.
How Do I Know if I Qualify for In-Home Hospice Care?
How Do I Choose the Right Home Care Agency for At-Home Hospice Care?
To qualify for hospice care at home, a hospice doctor and your doctor (if you have one) must certify that you’re terminally ill and have a life expectancy of 6 months or less. You must also forgo treatments that may extend your life.
However, if you decide to pursue treatment again, you can leave the hospice program and come back to hospice if the treatments are no longer working. You are not obligated to stay in a hospice program once you’ve enrolled in one.
Picking the right home care agency for your end-of-life care may seem stressful. Here are some questions you can ask the agencies you are researching to help you select the best one for your needs [5]:
- How long have you been serving the community?
- Do you have a “Patient Bill of Rights” outlining the rights and responsibilities of the providers, caregivers, and patients?
- Do you have literature explaining your services, fees, eligibility requirements, and funding sources?
- Do nurses or therapists evaluate the patient’s home care needs?
- How do you choose and train your employees?
- Do you include the patient and their family members in developing a care plan?
- How do you handle emergencies? Do you have caregivers available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
- Do you (the agency) and your caregivers have references?
If you need assistance choosing the right in-home hospice care, contact us today. We can help you find the perfect hospice provider for your needs.
What Services Does a Hospice Team Provide?
Hospice caregivers may provide a variety of services, including:
- Nursing visits to address physical symptoms
- Visits from a chaplain to provide spiritual comfort
- Volunteers to provide companionship
- Visits from a hospice aid to provide personal care such as grooming and bathing
- Social work visits to help coordinate resources between the community, family, and hospice team
- Bereavement support for the family after their loved one has passed away
What Are the Different Types of Hospice Care?
The four types of end-of-life care include:
- Routine home care, which is the most common type of hospice care and includes nursing and home health aide services.
- Continuous home care is when a patient needs continuous nursing care during a time of crisis.
- General inpatient care is short-term care when pain and other symptoms can’t be managed without a hospital setting.
- Respite care is short-term care in a facility when a patient’s caregiver needs a break from caregiving.
References
- Katherine Kam, What Is Hospice Care? WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/palliative-care/hospice-care
- How and Where Is Hospice Care Provided and How Is It Paid For? American Cancer Society, https://www.cancer.org/treatment/end-of-life-care/hospice-care/who-provides-hospice-care.html
- Hospice, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/Hospice
- Currow, David C; Agar, Meera R; Philips, Jane L; Role of Hospice Care ar the End of Life for People With Cancer; PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32023154/
- How Do I Select the Right Home Care Provider? National Association for Home Care & Hospice, https://www.nahc.org/consumers-information/home-care-hospice-basics/right-home-care-provider/
Canaan Home Care has a deep history of community service and caring for our neighbors. We are one of the oldest home care companies in the industry and we provide the absolute best caregivers at the most affordable rates. All caregivers are employed by Canaan Home Care and are fully licensed, bonded, and insured. All caregivers are thoroughly screened, including Live Scan background check, in-person interviews, behavioral screening, and skill-based examinations.
Canaan Home Care Value Guarantee: Your satisfaction is guaranteed. We are the only company we know of that guarantees your satisfaction and discloses its financial information. Caregivers generally make 10-15% more with Canaan Home Care than they do with other companies and our rates are generally 10% less expensive than our competitors. We guarantee you won’t find a better-qualified caregiver at a better rate, and you are not locked into any long-term contracts.
