Transcript Understanding Hospice Care

Understanding Hospice Care
CHATHAM COMMUNITY
CHURCH
DEBBIE MEADOWS
PATIENT CARE COORDINATOR
LIFECARE HOSPICE
Objectives
 Introduce philosophy of care
 Define hospice care
 Dispel misconceptions regarding hospice
 Promote expertise in end-of-life care
 Explain admission and referral process
 Share family impact
Presented through the lens of LifeCare Hospice
Philosophy of Care
 Hospice provides support and care for persons in
the last phases of an incurable disease so that they
may live as fully and as comfortably as possible.
 Hospice recognizes that the dying process is a part
of the normal process of living and focuses on
enhancing the quality of remaining life.
 The patient and family are the heart of care
 Care is available to anyone and in any setting
Philosophy of Care (Continued)
 Every person deserves quality care delivered by an
interdisciplinary team
 Hospice affirms life and neither hastens nor
postpones dying process
 Hospice aims to help maximize a patients’ quality
of life as they travel along their final journey
 Hospice has a responsibility to educate the
community regarding death and dying, palliative
care and grief
Hospice Care
 Compassionate care for families and their loved ones
faced with a terminal illness, during the dying
process, and through the bereavement process
 Intent is to effectively provide palliative care to
patients and their families which includes meeting a
patients’ physical, social, spiritual, and emotional
needs
Hospice Care (Continued)
 Care is coordinated by a clinically directed team:
medical – physician and nurse; including hospice
aides for personal care needs, social service
spiritual support, direct-care volunteers, music,
pet and music volunteers
 Care is tailored to the patient and family, based on
their needs and wishes, enhancing comfort and
improving the quality of an individual’s life during
the last phase of life
Experts in End-of Life Care
 The hospice team work to provide support and
comfort for the patient and family
 Physicians, nurses, social workers and hospice aides
certified in end-of-life care. Our dietician is certified
in Oncology nutrition
 Clinical pharmacists specializing in end-of-life care
Experts in End-of-Life Care (Continued)
 Visit frequencies are determined by patient and
family needs
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Nursing services are available 24/7 to handle after-hour
concerns
 Visits are made by all members of the IDT to
provide:
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Physical care – symptom management
Emotional support
Spiritual support
Support for the care giver
Admission and Referral Process
 How does hospice get involved with care?
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Any one can make a referral – Hospice team will gather information
from the necessary sources
Admission staff will meet with patients and families to discuss
services
 Who can be admitted to hospice care?
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Those who have a life-limiting illness
Cancer or non-cancer
Desire palliative (comfort) care and choose to forgo curative care
Understand hospice philosophy and are agreeable to hospice care
Reside within a hospice’s service area
Benefits of an earlier admission
 The Family Evaluation of Hospice Care Survey
evaluates perception of the end-of-life care
experience
 Families whose loved ones received hospice services
for a longer period of time reported:
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Greater emotional support as their loved one was dying
Greater satisfaction with care their loved one received
Better symptom control
An improvement in overall satisfaction in the end-of-life
experience
Benefits (Continued)
 A study sponsored by NHPCO studied the survival
periods of terminally ill patients with specific
diseases admitted to hospice compared to those that
weren’t admitted to hospice
 In the six patient populations studied, all
populations had a longer median survival period if
enrolled in a hospice program
Family comments from the FEHC
 “I am very appreciative of the care and information that
hospice provided me and my grandmother. I did not feel
so alone in caring for her any longer. A great burden was
lifted! Thank you for your support!”
 “I was entering uncharted territory and wasn’t sure how I
was to cope. Your aid was timely, effective and gratefully
received.”
 “Our experience was fantastic with hospice, Without
them, we would not have been able to fulfill my father’s
wish of dying at home. Everyone from hospice was there
just when we needed them. Survey
Bereavement Services
 Bereavement services are available to anyone in the
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community who has suffered a loss
For families and loved ones of hospice patients,
bereavement support continues for 13 months
following the death of their loved one
Individual counseling
Group support
Workshops
Annual Memorial Services
Lights of Remembrance
Questions?