Hospice care has evolved a lot in the past few decades. The primary focus is and always will be on providing for the comfort and happiness of the person in need, but the setting in which that is administered has changed. Today, instead of taking your loved one to a hospice home to spend their last days, care can now be given by a trained professional in their home. This is not for everyone, but for those that do wish to stay in their own homes as long as possible, this can be a much more peaceful solution.
The bottom line is that most of the 14,500 home health care and hospice service providers in the United States solely offer in-home care. Only 10 percent offered both of these services, which is unfortunate. Having a combination of both available makes for an easier transition of care if someone needs to switch from in-home care to hospice care down the road. These numbers were last updated in 2007 by the CDC, but the actual percentages haven’t changed much in the last seven years based upon current estimates.
No one expects to need hospice care, but it is a nice option to have in the event that it becomes necessary. It’s not something that people like to think about, but it is still an important consideration. Hospice care has grown in popularity because it is cost effective, it is much more personal than a hospital or nursing home, and it has become more convenient. Offering hospice care within the home makes this even more approachable.
It’s important to look at it this way. Hospice care isn’t about making things “better” or finding a “cure.” If someone is in need of hospice care, they have at most a few weeks left to live. Palliative care like this isn’t about these things, but rather getting the most appropriate type of care for this last stage of life. Hospice care focuses on comfort rather than treatment, and many people find that they are most comfortable in their homes. Another comfort comes with familiarity, and this means that a continuity of care is essential. Again, this makes it even more important to find a caregiving service that can provide both in-home and hospice care. This way, your loved one can stay in their home during the transition, and the caregiver service can stay the same. The technical term for this is “aging in place,” and it is an extremely important aspect of senior care, especially for those with Alzheimer’s disease.
You should expect to see more caregiving services pop up over the years. The senior population within our country is growing quickly because of the population increases over the generations, and there are now more senior citizens than ever before in history. Many of these people will eventually need care–either in-home, hospice, or a combination of the two. Being well prepared ahead of time is going to be your best choice. It is convenient and more comfortable for most situation.
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