Patients suffering from terminal diseases like cancer cannot stay in hospital for the remaining part of their life. They need home environment to feel strong and happy. This, however, requires hospice care as family members alone may not fulfil their requirements. Professionals who are conversant with the ways of managing symptoms of terminal disease can provide full care at home. They can also be their emotional support amongst various other things.
Duties of a hospice professional
Care at home is designed to help patients who need extensive care due to their restricted movements. A stage where disease can overwhelm patients in very many ways and make their life miserable can be best managed when their care is handed over to trained and experienced professionals. A hospice care professional can provide:
- Basic care: Helping in doing normal chores of a day like bathing, changing clothes, eating, using toilet, taking medicines, a trip to garden in evening, a person to talk to and so on. The nurse may come to home and stay for particular period of time and leave.
- Extended care: Care providers are appointed for all 24 hours of the day. The patient is under observation and the health parameters are evaluated periodically. Home care includes providing medical assistance for managing symptoms like body pain, vomiting and nausea, breathing difficulty and so on.
- General inpatient care: This is needed when the symptoms become severe and are impossible to manage at home. The patients are to be admitted in a facility.
- Respite care: Family members may find it very hard to take care of patients suffering from incurable symptoms. This care program extends for five days and is carried out in inpatient facility.
This is how the patient care at home service is designed. It is better to reach to the professionals to find what kind of care the patient needs to get the best possible solution.