Six Signs Patients Need Hospice Care

No one wants to lose their loved one. But when close one is suffering from a prolonged illness, and no treatment seems to be working, the family members should accept what is likely to happen next, and consider giving the hospice care. Hospice care gives comfort and support to the patients, along with mental support to you. But the point is when to know it is the right time to give hospice care to the patient. Let’s find out! 

The treatment is no longer working

Even though there are treatments available for most severe illnesses, treatments do not work at a certain age. So, if you see that treatment is not working for anyone, you should discuss with the doctors and take suggestions on giving hospice care from Hospice Care Agency in Lancaster, CA. Hospice care focuses on providing comfort, support, pain relief, and managing the symptoms to some extent rather than diagnosing the illness. Hospice Care At Home in Lancaster, CA generally begins when the doctors have declared the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less. 

The common illnesses in hospice care includes; 

·        Heart disease

·        Lung disease

·        Kidney failure

·        HIV/AIDS

·        Cancer

·        Stroke

·        Liver disease

·        ALS 

·        Alzheimer’s disease 

Symptoms are getting difficult to manage 

Many research reveals the pain tends to increase in the last two years of the patient life. In fact, the pain has become so intense in the last four months. This pain further leads to shortness of breath, anxiety, and restlessness. So, if you see an increase in pain and other problems like vomiting, trouble swallowing, and nausea, it is high time to go with hospice care and provide relief to your patients. Some people think that hospice is given to patients who have cancer. In reality, hospice care can be given to patients suffering from various life-limiting illnesses, and the treatment is no longer working as we already mentioned above. 

Patients are visiting the hospital more frequently 

As people age and treatment are no longer working, the visits to the emergency departments significantly increase. Frequent hospital visits or multiple doctors visiting the patients are the signs of giving hospice care as soon as possible. 

Patients need more help than they used to get 

If the patient may no longer perform personal activities like getting dressed, bathing, and eating, then these are signs they may need hospice care. 

They face difficulty in communicating with others 

As the patients’ age, they start experiencing vision and heating problems that affect how they walk and communicate. Consequently, patients start to withdraw themselves from activities they used to love. If you notice all such things, you should consult with the doctors or the hospice care agency. You will get a clear idea of whether you actually give hospice care to your patients or not. 

Loss of appetite and weight 

Obverse your patients’ eating habits and see what they eat and how much. Patients suffering from prolonged illness tend to lose their appetite, resulting in more problems like loss in weight and the body is not digesting properly. You should take this situation seriously and seek hospice care from the reputed hospice care agency in Lancaster, CA.