How to Get Hospice
There are so many people who could receive the benefit from hospice care. However, many are unaware of how to get hospice care. It can be a complicated issue, an emotional issue, a scary issue. Some people are afraid to talk about it. Some want to wait for the recommendation from a doctor. Most people are simply unaware that they can start hospice care on their own.
There are so many families that tell us they wish they had known about hospice earlier. At Temecula Hospice, we want to help you understand how to get hospice care for your loved one.
One thing that is important to remember is that hospice does not extend or shorten life. However, the goal is to improve the quality of time that an individual has left. Because of this, it is important to have conversations about hospice with your medical providers when it starts to become clear that the time might be right. It is helpful for medical providers to understand the wishes of the patient. If so, a good medical plan can be created to meet those expectations.
When you think hospice may be the right choice for you, these steps may help take you in the right direction:
Start the Conversation
First, a very important step toward hospice care for your loved one is to simply have the conversation with them about it. This can be a delicate conversation, but it’s an important conversation. With patience and understanding, take the time to evaluate if this is the best time to get hospice care.
Next, you may want to have a conversation about options with a healthcare provider. Ask them if you or your loved one is eligible for hospice care. Usually, it’s time to consider these options when you or your loved one has a serious, incurable illness, condition or disease that will no longer respond to medical treatment. It may also be time to consider hospice if you or your loved one with a life-limiting illness refuses or discontinues treatment because treatment is physically incapacitating, intolerably debilitating, or ineffective. There are several different diseases and conditions that might put one in this condition.
Get Recommendations
After a conversation with your healthcare provider, if your physician believes that the eligibility for hospice has been met and it would be beneficial at this time, you might ask the physician to recommend a provider. However, if you are in South Riverside County or North San Diego County, we would love for you to consider Temecula Hospice to be your provider.
If you would like to learn more about our services, please contact us today. Please consider Temecula Hospice. Together, we can explore how we can provide the best care for you or your loved one.
Visit and Assess Providers
If you are considering Temecula Hospice, the next step is a no-cost, no-obligation visit. Contact Temecula Hospice and we will schedule a time with you to make a clinical assessment and to answer any questions you might have. Furthermore, we will evaluate if you or your loved one are eligible for hospice care.
If we determine that you are indeed eligible, we will begin the process of admission and being our care.
Proceed with Admission
Finally, our representative will visit you and your family. It will be important that the individual needing hospice care, or someone legally authorized to act on their behalf, can make the decision to proceed with admission into our care.
At this time, it would also be wise to have a plan and expectations for this experience. It’s a good idea to have an Advance Directives plan. Some of these decisions on a plan like this are helpful to make in advance of care starting.
Get Hospice Care
Our care and services can begin as soon as all the proper documents are signed. Then, any necessary medical equipment will be discussed and arrangements will be made to have those items delivered.
Temecula Hospice may make arrangements to transport the individual to the best location that everyone agrees on that would be best for care. At that point, an initial meeting will be scheduled where a comprehensive care plan is developed by Temecula Hospice. In this meeting we may have a conversation about caregiving responsibilities by family and friends, pain control approaches if necessary, and any dietary concerns.
This will help us serve you well, and take care of your loved one when life matters most. Because when life matters most, Temecula Hospice cares.
