November is home care and hospice month. This week is dedicated to highlighting care provided by hospice care, also known as comfort care. Hospice care is the placement of a patient whose doctor has concluded that they have 6 months or less to live and the patient and/or family have chosen to stop treatment. Hospice care provides care to those through pain management and general comfort in one’s final days of life. Hospice care can provide 4 different levels of care depending on the current condition and needs of the patient. Some of these levels can be provided in a person’s home environment, while some require a medical facility setting. Very Well Health has broken down the levels of care into 4 categories here:
1. Routine home care. This level of care can be provided in a residence or nursing home and provides services such as nursing, medication management, medical supplies, counseling and more.
2. Continuous home care. This level of care is reviewed each day and can consist of a nurse providing care from 8 up to 24 hours each day.
3. General inpatient care. This level of care can be necessary when a person’s symptoms are unable to be treated at home or the patient can request to be placed in a hospital setting.
4. Respite care. This level of care is mostly provided to the family or person caring for the patient who may not meet the criteria for the other three levels of care listed above. This provides the family with a time of rest while the patient is cared for.
If you are looking for more information about hospice care, talk with your healthcare provider or the provider of your loved one who may be in need of these services. Information was sources from Very well health located here: https://www.verywellhealth.com/levels-of-hospice-care-1132297
