If you have a loved one that will soon require end-of-life care, you might be looking into all of the options that exist to provide them with the best level of care. You also might be hearing some horror stories about hospice and the various issues that can arise within a hospice facility.
This is probably making you pretty nervous about finding the right person to care for your loved one. How do you know that they’re trustworthy? How do you know that they’re right for the job?
Avoiding hospice care nightmares can be stressful, but it isn’t difficult if you know what to look out for. Luckily, there has been plenty of research done for you so that you know exactly what to seek out and what to run away from.
Here is how to avoid common troubles with hospice care and find the caretaker that you really need for a hospice in Oxford.
Why Do I Need to Hire Hospice Care?
If you’re worried about the potential hospice care nightmares, you might be starting to reconsider your decision about hiring a caretaker at all. Surely you can do this work yourself, right?
Well, there are certainly some good reasons to give that job to a professional who knows how to properly care for your loved one.
For one, hospice workers are trained specifically for this job. They know how to handle all of the trials and tribulations of helping someone through their end-of-life conditions. They can often offer palliative care that you will likely be unable to offer.
Hospice workers can also be available at all hours of the day. Unfortunately, the majority of American households have all adults working. If you’re unable to take leave, you simply won’t be around for enough of the day to support your loved one in their end-of-life journey.
Hospice workers can either work short-term on continuous care or on routine visits for their home care that work around your schedule. This means that even if you really want your loved one to receive care at home, someone else can be there to take care of their needs while you’re unable to.
Taking care of a loved one is a lot of work, and it’s easy to want to give your life away for it, but these workers are trained to help and better suited for the job.
Home hospice care can also help lessen the need for hospital visits as the patient is being cared for and monitored consistently.
What Hospice Care Nightmares Should I Look Out For?
Not every hospice worker is going to be a dream come true. There are some things to look out for when you’re shopping around for the perfect hospice care worker and some things that you need to avoid.
Hospice Workers Who Don’t Care
There are cases where hospice workers, whether by fault of their own or the company that they work with, simply lack the empathy required to care for their charges.
These workers may not show up when you need them or may leave in the middle of their shifts, leaving your vulnerable loved one alone. They may also not truly put care and effort into the palliative work that they do and their bedside manner.
These workers aren’t the majority, but they exist. Cardinal Hospice assures you won’t get hospice care nightmares.
Fraud
Fraud is present in the hospice industry as it is everywhere else. Sometimes services that are recorded or billed for aren’t actually performed, or if they are, they weren’t necessary.
Sometimes records are falsified, or patients who don’t actually need hospice care are encouraged to get it anyway.
These kinds of actions are predatory, acting to trap families in vulnerable conditions trying to protect their loved ones.
Luckily, there are ways to help sift out these people.
How Do I Avoid Them?
Avoiding these hospice care nightmare situations might take a little bit of work, but it’s time well-spent to ensure the safety and care of your loved one. There are a few ways that you can figure out whether or not a hospice worker or care center is going to be right for you.
Ask About Their Experience
While it’s not a for-sure sign of quality, experience matters. While the amount of time might not be crucial for you, it’s important to know that workers have been keeping up to date on best practices in all forms of their care.
Experience includes things like the number of patients that they have worked with, and how well-trained they are in providing an acceptable bedside manner. These things matter.
Ask About Availability
Great hospice service is going to be able to provide care at all hours of the day if there is an emergency. And you won’t worry about hospice care nightmares. You never know when your loved one is going to experience pain or require extra attention, or when you yourself may need to step out for an emergency.
Get Details About the Care They Provide
When you’re seeking out hospice care, make sure that you’re specific about your needs and the offerings of the provider.
You need to know that this provider is able to provide all of the services that you and your loved one require, and those don’t just end at standard care.
Some offer bereavement, counselors, dieticians, and more.
Ask If They Have an Inpatient Unit
Sometimes things can get a little too rough for home care, and a patient needs to be moved to inpatient temporarily.
Having this through the hospice can be a relief and can be less stressful for the patient.
Trust Your Instincts
When you’re done asking your questions, try to gauge how you felt about the caretakers or workers that you were speaking with.
Did they communicate with you openly? Were they empathetic and kind? Did you trust them?
Our guts aren’t always reliable, but they can be a good gauge of what feels “right” and what feels “wrong”, and if something is setting off red flags, even if there’s no good reason, you have your answer.
Ethical Hospice Care Is Essential
Finding the right hospice service to support your loved one in their end-of-life care can be scary. There are a lot of hospice care nightmares to avoid, but knowing what you’re looking for and why it’s so essential will help you to make the right choice.
Most hospice workers really do want to provide the best for your loved one.
If you’re looking for an ethical hospice service in Oxford, visit our site. We offer in-home hospice care and plenty of related services to suit all of the needs of your family.
