3 Things Every Family Should Know About Hospice Care

If someone you love is about to enter hospice care, you and your family may have questions about what will happen, what hospice care includes, and how the process works. Hospice care is a type of palliative care for people with terminal illnesses, and the aim is to provide the person with the highest levels of comfort and dignity during their final months. 

Hospice care can be provided in the home by a dedicated hospice care team, or in a long-term care community if the person is no longer able to remain in their home. The choice to remain at home or move to a community is a personal one, and it’s often a decision the whole family makes together. In this article, our hospice care team will explain several key components of hospice care to help you and your family make the best decision for your loved one.

Hospice care is for everyone involved

When someone in your family is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it greatly affects the whole family. While it may seem that the immediate purpose of hospice care is to provide medical care to the person who has been diagnosed, hospice care teams actually work to ease the difficulties the whole family faces. 

Caring for someone with a terminal illness can become both mentally and physically draining. In-home care can lighten the load for family members who have become full-time caregivers by monitoring medication, assisting with routine care, and making sure your loved one is as comfortable as possible. Hospice care teams can also provide valuable resources for emotional and spiritual support, if needed, and keep the family up to date about next steps and expectations. 

Hospice care is provided in the location of your choice 

The top priority of hospice care is the comfort of the terminally ill person. Hospice care teams provide care in your loved one’s home, in assisted living communities, and in dedicated hospice care communities. There are many reasons a terminally ill person may want to remain at home, and equally, there are many reasons why that may not be the best choice for them. 

We recommend making the decision together with your loved one and with the rest of your family. Dedicated hospice care teams will meet you where you are to provide medical care, monitor and administer medications, and help create a comfortable, peaceful environment for your loved one. 

Medication and medical supplies are included within hospice care

Millions of families worry about how they’ll afford hospice care for their loved one. The good news is that hospice care is covered by Medicare, and medication and medical supplies are included in the hospice benefit. 

Some of the most common medical supplies are bandages, incontinence supplies, walking aids, wheelchairs, and hospital beds. These supplies and any medications will be delivered to your home for free, and the hospice care team will teach you how to use everything. 

You deserve to spend precious time with your loved one instead of worrying about trips to the pharmacy for medication and supplies. And thanks to the hospice benefit, you can do just that. Your hospice team will also be there to help relieve the burdens that come from being a caregiver, so you can focus on the valuable time you have left together. 

If you’d like more information about hospice care, or if you have any questions about any of our hospice care communities at UMC, please contact our team today or visit our website at: https://umcommunities.org/

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/3-things-every-family-should-know-about-hospice-care/

How to be Social, During Social Distancing

Humans were created as social beings, we all need interaction with people to stay sane! While we know social isolation has a big impact on our well being, many folks have never experienced like this: where our isolation is compelled by forces beyond our control and is likely to continue for some time.

The good news is that even though we are physically isolated we can still be social. We are blessed to live in a time where technology has advanced enough to connect us in ways we never dreamed of as recently as 20 years ago. The opportunity in all this is to get better acquainted with these digital opportunities, embrace them in the spirit of fun, and do not be intimidated by technology. 

You are not too old to learn these new tricks, and ironically you may find yourself with more social connections to friends and family than ever before!

Here are some strategies that may help you stay social during these difficult times.  

1. Video Chat one-on-one with Friends, Family or your Therapist. 

Just talking on the phone does not always do the trick, seeing a person’s face while you talk to them will give you a much more intimate connection. Not only will the interaction feel more normal but also it can give you a sense that there is someone in the house with you. Speaking and seeing family and friends regularly is an important part of our wellbeing.

There are several common tools folks are using to see each other. A free ZOOM subscription is one of the easiest ways to go video. Just signup at zoom.com and schedule a meeting. It’s really that easy. For Facebook folks, live streaming has become popular and it has conferencing features that allow many people to be visible on the call.

2. Don’t Grow a Beard. Keep your Routines.

In these times try to stick to your routine. Psychologists stress that just because you are not visiting anyone or going to work, you shouldn’t forgo your daily shower, grooming, exercise, and dressing routines. If you attended yoga, cooking, or any extracurricular activity classes, try attending them online. Almost every class-based exercise program has an online version now, you can support your local businesses while still keeping fit. Arguably, keeping your mind and your immune system healthy is more important than ever right now, so getting out of bed and making yourself move is a discipline you really have to have. Experts advise that working out while in isolation will have a “tremendously positive effect” on your health and wellbeing. If your capacity to exercise is restricted due to a health condition or disability you should still aim to move more than usual. 

3. You Can Still “Go to Church”

You can also connect to a live stream church or religious service. Many churches and Synagogues are using ZOOM or Facebook Live to connect to the flock during COVID-19. Maintaining your spiritual connection to your faith and your community is one of the very best ways to get support, and keep your sanity during forced isolation. If you find that you struggle with the process of downloading and using technological platforms ask someone from your community to assist you. You can also arrange for calls from either a church leader or a community member for weekly check-ins and chats. 

Unfortunately, isolation and loneliness are going to be the common experience of many during this pandemic. It may sound like a cliché, but perhaps we can try and look at the cup half full. Ironically the pandemic is actually creating new communities and new opportunities for socialization. A sense that we are all in this together pervades the planet like never before, and as time passes we are coming together to find new ways to be social, and to help each other through this crisis. 

4. You can be safe, social, and still cared for in your home.

The pandemic may be active, but the needs of seniors who are choosing to stay at home have not changed. In-home care agencies like UMC Homeworks, are busier than ever providing aid, companionship, cleaning, and assistance to seniors who are isolated at this time. Our aides are health screened every day, stocked with protective equipment (PPE) and still visit our seniors in their homes all while maintaining social distancing and elevated hygiene protocols. 

In addition to daily home care, we are one of the few home health agencies that arrange for pastoral care that provides spiritual and emotional support in the home.

For more information on our senior home care services and home-care-safety in the time of COVID-19, please contact us today or visit our website at https://homeworks.umcommunities.org/

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/how-to-be-social-during-social-distancing/