Many people have the misconception that hospice is a place where people go to die, but it isn’t. Hospice isn’t a physical place; it’s a holistic care philosophy focused on helping terminally ill patients live comfortably during their remaining days.
Hospice care can be given at a facility if your loved one’s condition demands it, but the majority of hospice care is given in your loved one’s most comfortable surroundings – home.
The Hospice Team – Working Together to Provide Quality Hospice Care
The hospice team is comprised of more than just one person who comes to your loved one’s home from time to time. It’s a combination of highly-trained medical, psychosocial, and spiritual professionals that care for your loved one’s whole person. They not only support the family caregiver; they also are there for your family and friends.
Primary Care Physician (PCP)
This is usually your loved one’s current physician, in whom they place great trust. The physician has many responsibilities, including determining if hospice care is needed, making a referral to a hospice program, and staying on to actively provide care in the comfort of home.
Hospice Medical Director
This is the person responsible for creating a care plan, ensuring that the care team meets all of the plan’s goals, and that the needs of family and caregivers are being met.
Social Worker
The social worker creates a plan for the psychosocial needs of your loved one to be met. They provide emotional support, counseling, help with paperwork, financial tasks, and other duties to make the end-of-life journey comfortable for everyone.
Chaplain
The spiritual journey must also be attended to in the final months and days. The chaplain is non-denominational and skilled at navigating your loved one’s spiritual path during the end of their life.
Bereavement Counselor
This trained counselor helps everyone process the feelings of grief that are natural with a terminal diagnosis. They assist everyone with processing the death of a loved one in a healthy manner.
Colonial Home Care Services Can Be a Great Addition to Your Hospice Care Team
We serve caregivers and their families in many ways, including:
- Assistance with tasks and errands
- Respite care
- Caregiver wellness support
- Light housekeeping
- Meal planning and preparation
- Assistance with personal care (bathing, grooming, dressing, transferring)
- Companionship
Using these home care services during the hospice care period can help keep your loved one comfortable and ease the burden on you.
In many ways, our highly trained caregivers become part of the family. They are licensed by the State of California’s Department of Social Services, which ensures a minimum standard of care.
Colonial Home Care delivers much more than a minimum standard of care. We only employ the best-trained aides to care for your loved one. In addition, we have a state-of-the-art training lab that contains a fully functional shower/tub/vanity, a patient care and transfer manakin, and over 50 pieces of medical equipment.
Our caregivers are skilled, and they’re compassionate. They’re dedicated to delivering exceptional care that will enable your loved one to remain living comfortably and safely in their most cherished environment – home.
Colonial Home Care is located in Orange, CA, and provides care throughout Orange County. Our caregivers are available 24/7, and our management team is always on call after office hours to speak with you.
Contact us today. We’d be honored to be part of your team.
