Choosing a Hospice
Perhaps after some careful thought and deliberation you have decided hospice is best for your loved one. So what now? What should we look for in a "good" hospice provider? We will discuss this in today's post.
Do your research! There are numerous hospice providers that use their inpatient hospice facility as a selling point for their program. Indisputably these facilities are beautiful and breathtaking, the only problem is that the majority of hospice patients will not qualify to utilize them. In fact, in order to qualify for inpatient care, a patient's pain or other symptoms must be unmanageable at home. In other words, you cannot simply utilize these facilities at your own discretion.
So what help can I get when things get tough? That is a great question and fortunately help is available! The first form of help is from hospice and is termed "respite care." During respite care, a patient is placed in a skilled nursing facility for a period of 5 days. During these 5 days, the patient remains under hospice services and is also supported by facility staff. For caregivers who prefer to keep their loved one at home but are needing some relief, help is available here as well. For patients with limited financial resources, the State of Illinois has the Homemaker Program through the Community Care program. The Homemaker Program assists caregivers with a variety of tasks. For patients who do not qualify for the program, hospice can connect families with private caregiving agencies.
Check credentials. Hope Hospice is Joint Commission accredited. Joint Commission accreditation is a nationally recognized quality achievement. For more information on the Community Care Program and further information on choosing a hospice agency please see the links below:
