What is a home palliative care program?

ahsan65@gmail.comNovember 14, 2013

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Contributed by: C. Diane Thomas RN, BS, CHPN – OSF Hospice Manager

A home palliative care program allows a patient to be in the comfort of his own house with his family for his end of life trip. In case you are not aware, the palliative care programs treat the whole person to comfort the patient and the family during this period.

Home palliative care is provided by the interdisciplinary team of the hospice, which is often made up of nurses, chaplains, social workers, mourning advisers, care assistance, medical directors, primary care physicians and volunteers.

Services

The services provided by a home palliative care program include:

Pain management and symptoms
Personal care
Support for spiritual and emotional needs
Medical equipment at home, such as oxygen, bed or wheelchair
Terminal diagnostic drugs issued at home
24 -hour sorting nurses for additional support, to answer questions and to offer care recommendations
Mourning and advice monitoring
Volunteers can provide a company to the patient or allow care to shop
Nurses are available to make home visits 24 hours a day if necessary
Animal companions – Volunteers can bring their dog home for pet lovers

OSF Home palliative care program

In the Hospice OSF, the patient and the family participate in decisions related to the care plan. We strive to help the patient have the best quality of life possible and to achieve the objectives that are important to them at the end of his life. The care plan is examined with our medical director every two weeks at our weekly meeting of interdisciplinary care.

Our palliative care program follows the family for 13 months after the death of their beloved. The mourning coordinator can provide individual advice to children and adults to help the mourning process and loss and sorrow support groups are offered twice a month for additional support.