Pain Management
Hospice has a unique approach to pain management – another advantage of entering hospice care earlier. The care team always works to manage the patient's pain as expediently and efficiently as possible. Addressing pain and other symptoms in their early stages, rather than waiting until they become severe, is a priority.
In addition to determining the appropriate medications for pain and other symptoms, members of the care team identify the best ways to administer the medication to the satisfaction of the individual patient. Finding new therapies, new uses for conventional medications and new techniques are ongoing goals in hospice care.
Quality of Life
Whether the patient is at home, in a hospice house or another health care facility, hospice workers ensure that the dying person's environment is accessible, meets their needs and adds to their quality of life. For some patients, a hospice-provided portable oxygen tank gives them greater mobility. For others, a lift chair means they don't have to ask someone to help them to stand up or sit down. A hospital bed at home may be essential to a good night's sleep. The earlier the patient is entered into hospice care, the sooner we can provide these services, medications and supplies to help them maintain their dignity and comfort.
Hospice also provides for special wishes to make each day count. Care team members are quite creative and look each day at how they can make a difference. For example, at Hope Hospice, we cared for a patient in one of our hospice houses who was unable to attend her daughter's wedding. In a day's time, her care team invited family and friends, provided a wedding cake, rolled the patient's bed into our chapel, and one of our chaplains conducted the wedding ceremony at the foot of her bed.
An important part of hospice involves helping families and other health care professionals to understand that hospice opens the door to a quality of life that would otherwise be unavailable. The goal is to do everything to support the patient, the family and the physician in the referral process. Through this collaborative effort, more people can receive the end-of-life care they need in a timely manner.