Hospice Care
Hospice Care
Hospice care is a special kind of care that focuses on the quality of life for people who are experiencing an advanced, life-limiting illness and their caregivers. Hospice care provides compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible.
The hospice philosophy accepts death as the final stage of life: it affirms life, but does not try to hasten or postpone death. Hospice care treats the person and symptoms of the disease, rather than treating the disease itself. A team of professionals work together to manage symptoms so that a person’s last days may be spent with dignity and quality, surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice care is also family-centered – it includes the patient and the family in making decisions.
Hospice care is used when a disease, such as advanced cancer, gets to the point when treatment can no longer cure or control it. In general, hospice care should be used when a person is expected to live about 6 months or less if the illness runs its usual course. People with advanced cancer should have a discussion with their family members and doctor to decide together when hospice care should begin.
Studies show hospice care often is not started soon enough. Sometimes the doctor, patient, or family member will resist hospice because they think it means “giving up” or that there’s no hope. It’s important to know that you can leave hospice and go into active cancer treatment any time you want. But the hope that hospice brings is a quality life, making the best of each day during the last stages of advanced illness.
Some doctors don’t bring up hospice, so the patient or family member might decide to start the conversation. If your treatment isn’t working anymore and you’ve run out of treatment options, you might want to ask your doctor or a member of your cancer care team about hospice.
Home of St Theresa Hospice Team provides:
- 24-hours On-Call Availability
- Physician Directed Care
- Medication, Equipment, & Medical Supplies
- Individualized Care Plan
- Experienced Nurses and Caregivers
- Extensive Resource Network for Specialized Needs
Bereavement Care
Bereavement care will help patient and family identify strengths, difficulties, stressors, and coping skills that will help you adapt to a significant loss in your life.
Many people think that grief and bereavement are the same thing, but they really have different meanings.
- Grief is a normal reaction to a loss.
- Bereavement is the period after a loss during which you experience grief.
Yes, this can be confusing. What’s important to know is that loss is a natural part of living and all people will experience grief in response to loss. This is when bereavement care can be helpful to you.
How can bereavement care help?
Our quality bereavement care program will help you understand how you are responding to loss and provide support to help you deal with your grief. Reactions that people experience can be physical, emotional, social, and spiritual in nature. Common emotional reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair. Physical reactions can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems, or illness. It’s important to remember that no two people will respond to a loss in exactly the same way.
Our trained bereavement professional can assess how you are coping with grief and offer education and support. Most people feel strengthened, encouraged and supported when they learn about grief, understand how it affects them, identify coping strategies, and learn new methods to help themselves through the grief experience.
In cases where someone is struggling with complicated grief, a bereavement care professional can help identify the need for more comprehensive support.
and respect as the beginning."
Anonymous
