With hospice care, we have the honor of caring for patients during such an important time of their lives. Hospice is so much more than medical care; our nurses and staff become an extended family to our patients and their loved ones. We see these families regularly, communicate with them constantly, and are involved in almost every aspect of their lives.
As we celebrate Hospice and Palliative Care month this November, we’re taking a moment to appreciate all the ways these types of care impacts our lives, and the lives of patients and their families. These are just a few of the benefits of having Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care’s team around during a loved one’s final days.
It removes the patient’s fear of becoming a burden on their loved ones.
When a patient is receiving hospice or palliative care, it’s because their illness or condition has become too much to handle on a daily basis. Because of this, their loved ones often have to step in as their caretaker. Many times patients feel as though they are a burden to their loved ones, but with a hospice team taking over the care, they no longer have to have those concerns. We never want anyone to feel like a burden, so we completely remove that situation or struggle altogether. This gives patients and their loved ones the assurance to truly enjoy their time together.
Patients and families are better prepared for what’s to come.
Our nurses are extremely knowledgeable of how a condition will progress, and as they develop a relationship with the patient and their loved ones, they are able to educate those families on what’s to come. When a family has an understanding of what to expect, it gives them a sense of peace; everyone is on the same page and the family can come together and make moments count.
Patients and families can focus on making memories.
Once the concern about care is removed and patients understand their disease progression, they can focus on ways to really live their final days. There’s no need to spend time or energy stressing over providing care, instead, families can just enjoy the company of their loved one. Every day becomes about making their loved one happy and spending quality time together.
From our perspective, it’s beautiful to see all the different ways families make this time special for their loved one. One woman told us she would spend every single day telling her husband of 63 years how much she loved him. Another family said they would spend their time watching their father’s favorite movies with him.
Patients have the opportunity to open up; families get the chance to learn more about their loved one.
Aside from having nurses who care, we also provide families with a spiritual counselor and social worker to help them through this difficult time. These team members are trained in providing closure to families and have a way of getting patients to open up. Spending one-on-one time with patients creates a unique bond and closeness, and they’ll share their stories and more willingly express their love. This helps give the patient closure and again, brings families closer together.
Families have someone to turn to when questions or an emergency arises.
Hospice gives families a sense of comfort in knowing they have an extra person to help care for their loved one. They know they can count on our team any time something goes awry. Even beyond a medical perspective, our families know they are able to call and talk to our nurses about things that are personal too. Overall, both the patient and their family are cared for in every way by our team whenever they need it.
For more information on how Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care can help your loved one and family, contact us online or call one of our Fresno, Palm Springs, or San Diego locations.
Share +