Life is an unpredictable journey. You loved one might be a picture-perfect representation of health one day and get a terminal illness diagnosis the next. The first choice you should make when faced with such a devastating situation is to get an excellent hospice care facility for him/her.
Facilities offering hospice care services in Indiana are best placed to ensure the comfort and well-being of your loved one in the last stages of a terminal illness. There are various factors you should consider when looking for a hospice care facility. Here are a few of these factors.
Accreditation
Ensure the facility you select is adequately accredited according to set state and government regulations. This shows that it has already satisfied the set pre-requisites and is offering the highest level of care. Choosing an accredited hospice facility assures you of your loved one’s comfort and high level of care.
Type of Hospice
There exist two main types of hospice care facilities; non-profit and for-profit hospices. Non-profit facilities are typically the ideal option as their first commitment is to their hospice mission and not shareholder profit.
They also offer a range of comfort therapies including massage, assisted therapy, non-pharmaceutical interventions, and companionship. Compared to for-profit hospice facilities, non-profit facilities provide a more holistic care approach.
Non-Medical Treatment Services
Apart from the care of your loved one, some hospice facilities offer emotional support for the patient’s loved ones. These include grief counseling, support groups, and routine counseling to support them. These services will prove particularly beneficial for you and your family when dealing with a terminally sick loved one.
Comfort Care Treatment
While all hospice programs have the same philosophy of care, each one of them is different in a way. Depending on the health situation of your loved one, ensure that your hospice care choice offers comfort care treatments.
This includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, blood transfusion, and any other treatment that might be required for symptoms control.
Respite Care
Taking care of a sick person is both exhausting and challenging. Besides inpatient and home hospice care, some hospices offer respite care services which are made up of at least five days where a patient is moved to an inpatient bed.
Alternatively, a patient can receive respite care at their homes when their caregivers are unable to deal on their own. Before selecting a hospice, find out whether they have respite services and under what circumstances they offer them.
You might not be able to visit your loved ones on a daily basis. It is essential to get a hospice facility with an effective communication strategy that will constantly keep you in the loop on your loved one’s condition.
Distance is also an important consideration to ensure you spend as much time as possible with your loved one. In case you have a home run hospice care, you need to establish what the response time for the hospice is.
For instance, if you need someone to show up on 4 a.m. on a Saturday, would they have a person to timely respond to you and if so, how much time would they take. This ensures that you are well covered in case of emergencies.