LAVNS News:
How do you know when your loved one is ready for Hospice? Most families think it is the last days or month of the family member’s life. This is incorrect.
When is it time to call Hospice? As early as possible, so you and your family member can have a team of Hospice professionals surrounding you—the medical director, skilled nurses; the health care aide, the chaplain, the medical social worker and bereavement services. Call in the first stages of a terminal illness when the disease has progressed to the point that there’s no cure, and your loved one has decided to manage the pain and have comfort care and no longer seek treatment for their terminal illness.
Hospice is not a death sentence. The organization is there to support the terminally ill patient and family and to provide the best quality of life for the patient as possible. People are scared to reach out and call for help, as it’s the first time for many families in dealing with the details of a terminal illness and a future loss.
Preparation for death is about putting support in place, so that the real focus is on loving and being with your loved one, not just responding to the issues of caregiving. It can be very difficult to care for a family member or loved one at home, and no one should have to do it alone. Los Alamos Visiting Nurses Hospice care can provide a team of support specialists in end-of-life, for terminally ill clients.
People can call when they and their loved one have chosen to forego further testing, treatments and hospitalizations.
The oath of Hospice is to “neither hinder, nor hasten death.” Hospice does not help people die sooner. Hospice helps people die naturally and comfortably in their own time and in their own home. Hospice helps people live as well as they can for as long as they can. Its goal is to improve the quality of life as much as possible for whatever time your loved one has left.
End-of-life care can be difficult to discuss for families, but it is best for loved ones and family members to share their wishes long before it becomes a concern.
Preparation for loss means learning more about hospice care and asking a loved one’s physician, or the hospice staff many questions about what to expect.
Los Alamos Visiting Nurses’ (LAVNS) hospice care team can assist and partner with people to provide exceptional care and support during a difficult time.
Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service has local nurses, which allows them to provide prompt care and assistance. Its staff works with local and non-local physicians and community resources to assist in providing the best possible care to a loved one.
Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurances.
