Hospice Care in Nursing Facilities
Hospice are available from Life Choice Hospice to meet the needs of seriously ill patients in nursing facilities and to augment the fine care the facility provides.
Hospice care is for patients who are focused on comfort and can be most helpful to patients who have a prognosis of months, rather than years. A plan of care is developed for each patient, tailored to meet the patient’s needs and maximize quality of life.
A registered nurse provides care and also coordinates care with the facility staff and with the other members of the Hospice team. Social workers, spiritual care counselors, home health aides, and volunteers are available to visit the patient and family and provide support.
Care includes:
- Educating the patient and family on care needs, the disease process, nutrition, medications, physical changes and emotions.
- Regularly assessing the patient’s condition and comfort.
- Addressing pain or other symptoms and recommending adjusting medications when necessary to maximize comfort, energy conservation and enhance quality of life.
- Assistance with nursing procedures and other technical help.
- Updates for family, especially those who live out of town.
- Coordinating care and communicating with the patient’s physician.
- Assistance with bathing, dressing and other personal care.
- Medications, equipment, oxygen or whatever is needed and included in the hospice plan of care
- Providing support to ease emotional and spiritual distress for the patient and family.
- On-call nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for questions and visits.
Collaboration With Nursing Facilities
An important part of what Life Choice Hospice does is collaborate with the facility staff to help meet the patient’s needs and to provide additional support for family members, such as helping with communication.
Hospice care does not replace but augments the facility’s care and brings hospice expertise to the patient’s bedside. Our staff specialize in working with patients who have life-limiting illnesses, allowing nursing homes to focus on their specialties, which include rehabilitation and geriatrics. We also can provide additional support to the facility staff.
Our staff works with patients in nursing facilities, so we get to know the staff and the facility and the unique needs of nursing home patients. We work with patients in the facility they choose.
Individualized Care
As a patient’s needs change, our team adjusts visits and care accordingly, regularly communicating and coordinating with the facility staff.
How Care Begins
Care starts with a phone call from the patient’s physician, a hospital or other health care staff member, a family member or the patient. Call 800-557-7570 to schedule an information visit to see how Life Choice Hospice can help and whether hospice is right for you, or, contact us online.
