Some Important Things You Ought to Know About Hospice Care

The Medicare Hospice Benefit (MHB) guides hospice care development in the United States. There are actually four levels of care in this field. It is possible to admit a patient to any of these levels. At the same time, it is also possible to transfer a patient between these levels. Since 95% of the services provided are in the form of routine home care, many people are not aware of the other levels.

Routine home care is the most common type of hospice service in the United States. Services on this level are provided in the patient's home, be it a private residence, an assisted living facility, or a nursing home. It includes physician or specialist visits as required by the patient's condition. Usually, it comes with a nursing and home health aide visiting 1-3 times a week. This care level includes features such as counseling, medications, medical equipment, and supplies. There are also laboratory services and physical therapy.

The second level is the respite care. This option saves the patient's family from the physical and emotional demands of caregiving. Whenever the patient is no longer qualified for inpatient or continuing home care, respite care is available for the full-time caregiver. This level of hospice care is short-term as it is limited to five consecutive days. In this case, the patient will be admitted to a hospice facility so that the family can assure that their loved one's conditions are dealt with utmost care.

The general inpatient hospice care is another level. The MHB provides the services in an acute care hospital or in other related setting in which the family cannot provide intensive nursing and support. If there are uncontrollable distressing physical symptoms and psychosocial problems, this level is the most suited. Should there be a need for around-the-clock support, there are three types of inpatient facilities to choose from. These are hospital, freestanding facility, and long term care facility.

A company that provides hospice services may lease a unit or have a contract with a hospital to provide care. A freestanding facility, on the other hand, is owned and operated by a hospice company. They are staffed with hospice-trained employees. A company leasing a contract with a facility to provide hospice care is a long-term care facility.

The fourth level is continuous home care. This is for patients who qualify for general inpatient care but want to stay at home. They are usually the ones who need support during short periods of emergency. The services of a home health aide or general homemaker services are available from 8 to 24 hours a day. When compared to the routine home care, this level provides more support to the patients. A nurse or a home health aide stays in the patient's house assisting in medications and treatment until the situation is under control.

Many families like to care for their loved ones who are terminally ill or with distressing conditions. The problem is that they don't have the right skills and enough time to attend to them. Hospice care allows you to effectively deal with such situations. To know about Eldercare at Home Click Here