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If someone you love is terminally ill and would prefer to receive care at home, hospice care from Lifetime Care can help.
Hospice staff are highly skilled at managing pain and other physical symptoms of advanced illnesses. Hospice care also assists patients and families with spiritual, emotional, and psychological concerns.
Click here to learn more about one of the nurses who provides hospice care at home.
Admission Guidelines
Hospice uses three criteria to determine if a patient's needs can be met safely in a home setting:
- The patient has a terminal illness which the attending physician believes is likely to cause death within six months or less.
- The patient, family and physician want a treatment plan that is comfort-oriented (palliative) rather than disease-oriented (curative).
- The patient lives in Lifetime Care's service area (Monroe, Wayne and Seneca counties) and has someone who is available and willing to function as his or her primary caregiver.
Lifetime Care also provides hospice services to individuals who choose to make a “comfort care home” their residence at the end of life. Operated mostly by volunteers with support from local parishes and community groups, these homes accommodate people who are eligible for hospice care but cannot receive services in their own homes.
Role of a Primary Caregiver
With support from the Hospice team, the primary caregiver is a person the patient may turn to for routine matters. The primary caregiver:
- Often is a spouse, parent, child or sibling
- May also be anyone the patient desires to function in this role
- Does not have to live with the patient (a patient may live alone as long as he or she can safely and adequately do so)
Most patients who do live alone need to have someone (usually the primary caregiver) move in with them – or relocate to a comfort care home – as they approach the final stages of their illness.
Support for the Family
Hospice social workers help families solve problems they may face during this difficult time. Sometimes the family may need to talk about the loved one’s illness and anticipated loss, or how to best use their personal resources.
Hospice also offers pastoral counseling to help families carry out faith-related rituals that are important to the patient. The Hospice chaplain uses a network of community clergy and lay chaplains to meet these needs within the patient's and family's faith tradition.
Hospice volunteers offer support and encouragement during times of stress. They have received specialized training to prepare them to assist Hospice patients and families. |
