 *Requires Adobe Acrobat | Le Bleu Chateau Community Service Program |  |
*Requires Adobe Acrobat | Le Bleu Chateau Community Service Program | |
Hospice is an against-the-grain option in the continuum of care. It is the concept that concedes a person can no longer benefit from curative treatment and that life expectancy is less than 6 months. Therefore, hospice is based on palliative care. This changes the focus from curing the illness to relieving its symptoms and easing its pain. The theory is to treat the person, not the disease. The aim is to enhance the person’s comfort and improve the quality of their remaining time on earth.
Hospice care uses a family-centered approach to decision-making and treatment. The family is trained and supported by members of the hospice team. Together, they provide patient care utilizing a variety of therapies, with no conventional or unconventional therapy being excluded from consideration. This approach allows medical, spiritual, personal and psychological issues to be dealt with, while providing support and comfort to the patient and their family.
Providing hospice care takes an interdisciplinary team approach. A family member is typically the primary caregiver. They are guided and aided by a support team that provides experience, training, care planning, therapies and services.
The hospice team incorporates a wide variety of specialists. Team members can include:
The hospice team puts together a care plan that is specific to the needs of the patient. Here are some of the major responsibilities that guide their plan.
