What Kinds of Hospice Care Might Help Your Senior Most?
One of the things that can be overwhelming about choosing hospice care for your aging family member is determining how much care is right. Those different options are actually a good thing, though, because they allow you and your senior to customize so much of her experience at the end of her life. Understanding those different levels of care can really help you to feel as if you’re hitting the right solution.
As-needed Care
Especially in the beginning stages of hospice elder care, your senior may only need specific types of care. Perhaps she only needs help with certain tasks or she needs her blood pressure or blood sugar monitored more regularly. As-needed hospice care services can help with these types of situations. And as your elderly family member’s needs change, so too can the type of care she receives.
Routine Daily Care
Routine daily care could be everything from more complicated medical procedures, such as monitoring daily vitals, to helping your senior bathe, eat, and perform other daily tasks. When your senior is getting help with routine daily care, she’s more likely to have someone there with her during the day and possibly at night.
Continuous Care
If your elderly family member’s situation is a little more complicated to manage, continuous care options might be more what you both need. Your aging family member may not want to go back to the hospital or seek out curative treatment options. Continuous care from hospice services ensures that your elderly family member has the assistance that she needs to remain comfortable even in the face of health situations which are not optimal.
Respite Care
From the standpoint of yourself as a caregiver, if you’re not taking respite time, you might want to rethink that decision. With the help of hospice elder care providers, you’ll know that you can leave for an hour or longer and your senior is in capable hands. This is crucial because you still need to be taking care of yourself, probably more so now than at any point during your caregiving journey.
Once you understand how the different levels of hospice elder care can work for your senior’s specific situation, you can make a better-informed decision about what to choose. Her doctor can also help you to determine what is likely the best option for her. By working together, you can fine-tune the available options to get the best combination for the situation at hand.
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