Every patient at Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care is so unique; each person has a different pain tolerance, emotional state, medical goal, spiritual belief, and family dynamic—and we believe that each aspect of them as a person should affect the care they receive from our team. That’s why we strive to provide the best care possible, which is developed and personalized to fit the unique needs of each individual patient.
We always take into account the whole patient—their values, concerns, and desires—as we create their unique hospice care plan. Here are a few ways and reasons we’re able to give patients the control when it comes to their care.
A Smaller Team Means a More Personable Approach
Because we’re an independent hospice agency, we have the freedom and ability to do things a little differently. Throughout their time on service with us, patients receive treatments and visits from the same care team. Essentially, our RN case manager, nurse, social worker, spiritual counselor, and home health aide become the patient’s own private care team and build a personal relationship with them.
We view each patient as a unique and integral part of our Ardent family. And in fact, one of our main goals at Ardent is to give each patient such high-quality care, that they feel as if they’re our only patient. Everyone on our team is knowledgeable about each patient’s case, so no matter whom they speak to in the event of an emergency, they’ll be speaking with someone who can advise or treat them in way that’s pertinent to their situation.
Personal Relationships Build Trust and Collaboration
As patients and their families start to build relationships with our team, our hope is that they feel more open to voicing their concerns and requests with us. The more involved families are with the care plan and the more they communicate their wishes and needs to us, the greater positive benefit they’ll see from our services. Collaboration helps us deliver the kind of personalized care that exceeds a surface level of comfort. In working with our patients and their family, we’re able to give them meaningful peace, warmth, and relief through every element of their care.
An Environment that Welcomes Every Request
At Ardent, we try to create an environment that welcomes any request or concern and hope our families know that they can always come to us. We never want our families to feel afraid or apprehensive about coming to us with a worry, question, or request.
Usually, when we bring a patient onto services, our social worker will sit down and talk to the patient and family about their desires, goals, and wishes, so that from the beginning, we can try our best to accommodate those needs.
These conversations also help us navigate deeper, more personal wishes that can bring a patient peace and closure. For instance, we’ve had patients ask to ride a Harley Davidson, dye their hair purple, dip their toes in the ocean, and even have one last birthday party. In these types of situations, we’re able to work with our No One Should Die Alone Foundation to bring joy to our patients during this difficult time.
A Caring Team That Embraces All Cultures and Beliefs
Values and religion also play an important role in how we deliver care to patients. Our spiritual counselor is fully trained on a wide realm of religions, and she leads our team in providing the right direction to our patients no matter their beliefs. We welcome and embrace all religions, cultures, and beliefs, and will always do everything we can to meet a patient’s needs.
When a patient is brought onto our service, the spiritual counselor personally meets with them to find out if there are any specific requirements that need to be taken into account as we build the patient’s care plan. And aside from offering counseling, she can reach out to the family’s own spiritual leaders to set up visits as necessary or ask them to speak at the patient’s memorial services. This is just another way we can personalize our care and also take some of the burden off a family’s shoulders.
For more information on how Ardent can help your loved one through a personalized care plan, call us at (559) 408-5945 or visit us online to set up a consultation.
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