When a loved one is facing a terminal illness, families in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, often look for ways to enhance the individual’s quality of life. Hospice care at home, with a focus on comfort and support as the end is drawing near, is designed to make that happen.
Hospice services have a positive impact, as they help the terminally ill and those they hold dear make the most of the time they have left together. Here’s how choosing hospice contributes to an improved quality of life for patients and families.
Hospice Services are Provided in the Home
In Philadelphia, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities are sometimes the setting for hospice, but most people who qualify receive the services they need at home. Whether a terminally ill individual lives in their own private home, a loved one’s abode or an assisted living center, they can remain there as long as a higher level of care is needed. Having the comforts of home and loved ones close by – in addition to the support that typically comes with facility care – enhances quality of life and makes for a more enjoyable end-of-life experience.
Hospice Care Plans are Personalized
Philadelphia hospice care providers embrace a compassionate, holistic approach to patient care, tailoring services to each individual’s unique needs, preferences and goals. A comprehensive evaluation is carried out, through which the hospice team seeks to understand the individual’s medical condition, symptom burden and mental state as well as their priorities for the end-of-life journey. Based on this assessment, the care team creates a roadmap for delivering personalized support. This patient-centered course of action is empowering for patients and leads to an improved quality of life.
Hospice Spotlights Symptom Management
With hospice care at home, one of the fundamental goals is to effectively alleviate physical distress and keep troubling symptoms in check. An interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, therapists and other professionals who specialize in end-of-life care work together, making use of medications, therapies and interventions to improve patient comfort. By concentrating on pain control and symptom management, hospice teams endeavor to optimize the well-being of each patient, which helps to enhance their overall quality of life as the end draws near.
Hospice Care Addresses Emotional Needs
Mental well-being is essential at the end of life. By providing counseling services and therapy sessions along with connections with local support groups, Philadelphia hospice care providers address the emotional challenges faced by terminally ill individuals and their loved ones. Through these interventions, everyone has an outlet for expressing anxieties, fears and sorrows, and this is beneficial in terms of processing feelings and finding solace at such a difficult time. In supporting emotional needs, hospice services contribute to an enhanced quality of life.
Hospice Care Offers Spiritual Support
Upon choosing hospice care at home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, patients and their families have access to spiritual support. Dedicated chaplains work to help nurture the soul, while respecting each individual’s personal convictions and faith traditions. Many people think of religion as being a cornerstone in life, and whatever the religious belief – or the lack thereof – hospice professionals are ready to provide support. By addressing existential concerns and fostering inner peace, they help make the end of life a more spiritually meaningful and fulfilling experience.
Hospice Extends Support to the Family
In Philadelphia, hospice care providers extend their support beyond the terminally ill individual to the entire family. Loved ones grapple with practical challenges and emotional burdens, and assistance is available. From education, guidance and help with end-of-life arrangements to respite care, a break for busy or overwhelmed family caregivers, hospice does much to alleviate the hardship. Also, bereavement support services are available to families for up to 13 months after a patient passes away, helping everyone left behind to cope with the loss.
Suncrest Hospice Embraces Quality of Life
The dedicated team at Suncrest is proud to provide holistic, personalized support to the terminally ill and their loved ones. To us, hospice care at home is about making a difference by alleviating suffering. It’s about ensuring that the end-of-life journey is as peaceful and comfortable as possible. And, it’s about helping patients and families take full advantage of their remaining time together.
Our commitment to comprehensive care, with an emphasis on comfort, compassion and dignity, has led us to become a trusted Philadelphia hospice care provider. Physicians often send patients our way, but no referral is necessary – anyone can contact us to schedule a free, in-person consultation.
If someone you hold dear has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, we’d be happy to send a representative out to discuss hospice care at home. After determining your loved one’s needs, we’ll explain the available services and the admissions process. You’ll have the chance to ask questions, too, and we can arrange for support to begin as soon as possible.
By choosing Suncrest, patients and families can find comfort and an enhanced quality of life when they need it the most. For more information on hospice care at home, or to schedule a consultation, contact our office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, today.
