What Are The Different Levels Of Hospice Care?

Hospice care, also called end-of-life care, is a type of care that is provided to people who are suffering from a severe illness. Instead of just one type of hospice care, there are many different levels.

Home Care

The basic level of hospice care is when someone provides routine home care. This is provided to your loved one for end-of-life-care if they decide to reside in their home for their final days. Routine home care encompasses a lot of services to keep your loved one comfortable during this time. For example, it typically includes nursing services where a nurse will visit them several times a week to provide medications, check their vitals, and administer basic healthcare procedures. There may also be a physician that visits their home to check on their condition with routine home care. A home health aide may stay for longer periods of time if they don't have a relative to help with daily bathing, toileting, dressing, and other basic tasks. Home care might also include:

• Social services
• Counseling services
• Medical equipment and supplies
• Lab collection

Continuous Home Care

If your loved one can't handle routine home care only provided a few days a week, they will get continuous home care. For the majority of the day, a nurse, doctor, or home health aide will stay with them and help with these daily tasks. There is typically a nurse or home health aide that helps relieve their anxiety, relieve pain, administer medications, help with severe nausea and vomiting, and provide primary caregiver support.

Inpatient Care

Some people will not receive hospice care in their home but will instead remain in an inpatient facility. In some cases, the patient was already living in the nursing facility so the care staff simply provides more hospice care for end-of-life care. In other cases, they are transferred from home or a hospital setting. This is different from home care since the nurses are always there to provide care, though they work in shifts. Instead of having one or two nurses at their home every day, your loved one may see a series of different nurses throughout the day. Inpatient hospice care is offered at freestanding hospice facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Respite Care

Respite care is more for the comfort of the family than for the patient. If your loved one doesn't qualify for home care or inpatient care, they can receive respite care. This is offered on a temporary basis in an inpatient facility. They may be there a few days or up to a week, depending on the care they need. They receive all the same inpatient care as if they were enrolled permanently in the facility, helping to give you and your other relatives a break during this difficult time.

For more information about hospice care, contact Carolina East or a similar location.