Hospice provides physical, emotional and spiritual care for patients with cancer.
Patients with terminal illnesses reach a point where treatment is no longer effective. At the end of their lives, patients need specialized care to make their last days comfortable. Hospice provides that care. Along with physical needs such as pain and symptom relief, hospice also attends to the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient and provides support services to the family.
Role
The intent of hospice care is to improve the quality of life specifically for patients in the end stages of terminal conditions, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Hospice care, which can be provided in the home, hospital or other long-term care facility, focuses on compassionate care and patient dignity. Patients with cancer enter hospice when they no longer benefit from treatment and have a life expectancy of 6 months or less.The goal is to enable patients to live their last months free of pain and symptoms associated with their condition or its treatment. Unlike medial care that treats only the condition, hospice care addresses the whole patient.
Palliative Care
Palliative care for patients with cancer is limited to relieving, preventing or reducing the symptoms of cancer. It provides comfort, not a cure, for patients suffering from serious illnesses, according to the American Geriatric Society (AGS). Palliative care aims to improve a patient's quality of life and improve his strength so he can better tolerate medications and treatments. A patient may receive palliative care while still receiving active treatment or near the end of life.
Physical Care
When a patient with cancer enters hospice care, treatment of the cancer is no longer a concern and pain relief becomes the primary focus. Pain management leaves the patient alert and in control while making them comfortable. Palliative care provided by hospice also encompasses relief of other symptoms common in late-stage cancer, such as nausea and vomiting, constipation, depression, delirium, wasting and breathing difficulties.
Emotional Care
The multidisciplinary hospice team includes mental health professionals and clergy who help guide patients. Emotional and spiritual care is tailored to the needs and beliefs of each patient, according to the ACS. Health professionals counsel patients on talking to loved ones about their impending death and preparing themselves for farewells. Hospice workers help patients manage stress and put their affairs in order.
Support Services
Hospice provides services for the families of patients as well. For patients receiving hospice care in their own homes, hospice provides respite care to allow family caregivers time for themselves. Social workers, who are also members of the hospice team, arrange family conferences to deliver updates on the patient's condition and prepare the family for downturns in the patient's condition. After the patient dies, hospice workers continue supporting the family, offering bereavement counseling for up to 18 months, according to the ACS.
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