Hospice Care
“Hospice care” refers to a team of nurses, qualified doctors, therapists, social workers and other people who provide care, support and help to a person with a life-limiting illness in order to minimize their discomfort and live with dignity. Instead of going to a frail care facility or nursing home, one of the many hospice facilities can be contacted to find out what type of hospice services they provide.
Hospice support isn’t restricted to elderly people – hospice nursing and hospice care can often be provided for people of all ages. Hospice services are not limited to a terminally ill patient (the person can have a life-limiting illness, but not yet need full-time care) and the team often provides services that help family members deal with the loss of a loved one.
People often want know more about hospice care cost and payment options. Certain private insurance policies, such as Medicare and Medicaid, have a specific benefit included in their plans to ensure that members can get the hospice nursing support they need. There are also other methods or types of funding available for hospice services (VNA & Hospice Foundation, for example, allows the organization to provide care for patients regardless of their financial resources).
What to expect from hospice care
Once a physician has determined that the person has a life-limiting illness, you will meet with the admissions coordinator who will discuss the various options with the parties involved. There are different levels involved with hospice support and hospice services – the patient could only need routine home care, where the caregivers (which may involve a doctor, nurse, counselor etc.) will come and visit the patient a few times a week. The support staff will come and visit the patient at their home, nursing home or where the patient is staying.
Another type of hospice service involves periodic, full-time care-giving, where the patient will go to the hospice facility for a period of time or where a skilled nurse will go to the patient’s private residence. This option helps alleviate family members or at-home caregivers of the demanding task of being full-time caretakers and ensures the patient receives the necessary care they need. When the patient gets better, he or she can go back to their private residence.
Besides the abovementioned options, you can also make use of full-time hospice care, where a qualified team of physicians and counselors provide continuous care for a patient with physical or psychological problems.
Whether you need hospice support for a short period of time, on a routine basis or continuous hospice nursing support – the VNA Hospice can help you. VNA provides compassionate, innovative care of the highest quality in order to provide service excellence with integrity and accountability.
Contact us now for Hospice Care
