How At-Home Hospice and Home Care Services Complement One Another

When home care services are combined with at-home hospice care, a variety of needs can be met.

If you ask people who are within the last six months of their lives what is most important to them, you’re likely to hear responses including:

Remaining in control over which services will likely be provided
To be free from pain
Emotional and spiritual support
To remain at home

At-home hospice care meets all of these needs and so much more, especially when paired with non-medical home care services, like those offered by Morning Glory Home Care. Together, home care and hospice providers can ensure physical, emotional, spiritual, and practical needs are all addressed, based on the care recipient’s final wishes.

Hospice and Home Care Meet Physical Needs

In the final stages of a person’s life, fatigue, pain, difficulty with breathing, digestive issues, seizures, skin irritation, and various other forms of physical issues may occur. It’s essential to understand how to read the person’s nonverbal cues and take steps to relieve symptoms. A hospice nurse will supply medical relief, while a home care provider can:

Help the person engage in relaxation techniques, for example, soft music, aromatherapy, reading aloud in a soothing voice, etc.
Offer engaging distractions, such as playing cards or a game together, working on a memory book project, or looking through photo albums
Provide companionship so that the person knows she or he is not alone

Additionally, the care team will closely monitor the individual’s skin. Dry skin and pressure sores are not unusual, and can be alleviated through frequent repositioning, using lip balm to soothe dry lips and ice chips whenever the inside of the mouth is dry, and making sure skin stays moisturized and clean.

Hospice and Home Care Meet Emotional/Spiritual Needs

Being available to listen to whatever the person needs to say or discuss can be an enormous relief. A caregiver is there for as much or as little time as needed to permit the person to express any thoughts and feelings nonjudgmentally. Our caregivers understand the importance of never correcting or disagreeing with the person, or trying to change his/her feelings or thoughts in any respect. The hospice provider and in-home caregiver will also respect and honor the person’s spiritual beliefs and needs, and help provide whatever brings that individual comfort.

Hospice and Home Care Meet Practical Needs

Reducing the burden of simple, everyday tasks is an exceptionally important service for families. It frees up valuable time for them to spend with the person receiving hospice care. Depending on the family’s wishes, our care team can help with:

Housekeeping and laundry
Preparing meals
Running errands
Personal hygiene care, such as bathing/showering or bed baths, hair and oral care, incontinence care, and more

If someone you love is receiving at-home hospice or palliative care, contact Morning Glory Home Care at 618-667-8400 for a complimentary in-home consultation. We are here to answer questions any time, and also to share more about how our in-home dementia care in Alton and the surrounding communities can enhance quality of life for both the person in need of care, and for you too. Visit our service area page for a full list of the communities where we provide care.