While there are many different groups of people who may benefit from hospice care for varying reasons, including many who are not yet in their older years, those who have reached senior age are certainly one of the most common and well-known examples. How can someone who is getting older, or their family members, tell when the time might be right to consider such forms of care?
At Suncrest Home Health and Hospice, we’re proud to offer caring, versatile hospice care services to a variety of patient needs, including those who are aging and need assistance with different parts of their lives as they move into their final stages. If you’re the family member or caregiver of someone who is reaching or past senior age, what are some of the key indicators that your loved one could benefit significantly from home hospice care? Here are several to keep in mind.
Illness Symptoms Are a Struggle to Manage
If a senior in your life is dealing with any of a variety of conditions that sadly become more common with age, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, it can be difficult to accomplish even the most basic daily tasks. If they’re having trouble with something like walking, eating properly, or even bathing themselves without help, this might suggest that a transition to home hospice care could be ideal.
This area also relates heavily to the capabilities of current caregivers. If you’re the sole caregiver for a senior loved one and can’t manage all the demands, for instance, it may be time to consider having someone else step in who can offer more consistent and reliable care.
Hospital or Doctor’s Visits Are Becoming Very Common
Down related lines, if your senior loved one is dealing with a variety of different conditions and/or illnesses, it may be that they’re in and out of the hospital fairly often. For many families, this sort of care routine can become increasingly expensive and, in some cases, even dangerous.
Professional home hospice care providers are able to keep up with the ever-changing health conditions of seniors who need assistance, so that they have a better chance at managing things on their own in between visits from medical professionals. In essence, this often leads to less hospitalization overall and more freedom for seniors to live their lives as they please.
And in cases where a senior needs full-time medical supervision, home hospice care providers can be there for them every day and even every night so that their health doesn’t end up worsening.
Daily Tasks Are Becoming More Difficult
If you’re noticing that your senior loved one is struggling to simply get through his or her daily routine, such as getting dressed, feeding themselves, or even brushing their teeth, it may be time to consider hospice care. This is due in large part to the fact that everyday tasks become increasingly difficult when seniors are struggling with mobility, strength issues, and other problems related to aging.
If you happen to notice any of these signs in a senior loved one, it may be time to take action and look into professional home hospice care for your loved one.
Current Medications or Treatments Have Failed
While the world of medicine will exhaust every possible option to help a senior with their health conditions, it’s also important to recognize that not every treatment will be successful. If you’re seeing an endocrinologist for diabetes and things aren’t improving; or your elderly loved one has been seen by a surgeon and they still have trouble eating or walking, home hospice care might truly be the next step.
For those who are looking for a slightly more direct timeline here, the general standard for beginning hospice care is when a doctor has determined that the patient’s life expectancy is at six months or less. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule, it does give families a general timeline to work with so that they better understand the capabilities of hospice care providers.
This type of care can help seniors in many aspects of their lives by assisting with things such as:
- Bathing, dressing, or other daily needs
- Help with walking, eating, and other physical tasks
- Medication reminders to ensure they’re taking their prescriptions as directed
- Assistance with housekeeping, meal preparation, and more
Confusion and Restlessness Are Common
Another sign that hospice care might be ideal is if you, a family member, or a friend are noticing that your senior loved one is becoming more confused and restless. Since seniors with dementia-type conditions often experience confusion and restlessness as they grow older, this could signify the beginning of the end when it comes to their overall ability to live on their own.
One of the most important things to note here is that, while hospice care can be incredibly useful and beneficial for many seniors, it’s not a cure. In short, this type of care isn’t meant to help people live longer but rather to help them attain the highest quality of life possible in their later years.
Communication is Becoming Difficult
In other cases, seniors may simply stop being able to communicate with the people around them due to physical or cognitive problems. While this can be incredibly upsetting for a loved one, it could also signify that home hospice care is something to consider so that your loved one is still getting the help they need in terms of their overall health and well-being despite having difficulty communicating.
Hospice care professionals are trained specifically on themes like providing care despite limited communication, and they can be more than willing to help your elderly loved one in any way they can. If you think that home hospice care may be right for your aging mother or father, it’s important to consider reaching out and speaking with a few different providers so that you can better gauge their willingness and ability to help in this area of your senior loved one’s care.
Losing Weight or Nonexistent Appetite
If your loved one is struggling with weight and eating on a regular basis, you may have exhausted all your ideas and options for helping them. Unfortunately, this is also a sign that things seem to be worsening and you should consider contacting a home hospice care provider sooner rather than later so that your loved one can receive the proper medical attention from trained professional caregivers.
While some seniors may find themselves losing weight due to issues such as dementia or other conditions affecting their overall mobility and health, others may simply have trouble eating for a number of different reasons. In these cases, it’s not necessarily indicative of their overall health status but rather that they need support to overcome the issues that are making it hard for them to eat and stay nourished.
Multiple Recurring Infections
In other situations, a specific medical need like a recurring infection or serious, chronic illness may signify that home hospice care is something to look into sooner rather than later. While senior loved ones who are struggling with medical conditions can still be cared for at home without the help of a professional caregiver, this could be yet another sign that outside help is needed and that you should keep an eye out for other signs such as confusion or weight loss.
Your Loved One Sleeps Most of the Time
For some seniors, getting older also means that they feel particularly tired and are not able to stay active and engaged throughout the day. If your loved one is sleeping much more than usual despite you already making an effort to ensure that their living space is comfortable and conducive to rest, this could indicate that something else may be going on.
To be clear, this singular behavior on its own does not necessarily mean that it’s a sign that home hospice care is needed or even something to consider. However, if your loved one seems lethargic and their overall well-being doesn’t seem to be improving despite your best efforts, and especially if some of the other signs we’ve gone over to this point are present, this could be a sign that they need further medical attention from professionals who have the training required to help them improve their health.
You’re Overwhelmed as a Caregiver
We touched on this above, but it’s worth noting in more detail that even the best family caregivers can feel overwhelmed, especially if they have to juggle working full-time or taking care of other responsibilities in addition to helping their senior relatives with things like eating and sleeping. If you start feeling overwhelmed by your loved one’s needs as a caregiver, it might be time to consider outside help in the form of a home hospice care provider who can come and fill this gap for you.
In short, there are many different signs that your elderly loved one may need some help from a hospice care provider. While it’s important to be vigilant about any sort of change in their behavior or health status, it’s also equally important to know that this alone isn’t enough to indicate that home hospice care is needed. Instead, keep an eye out for these behaviors and talk to your loved one’s regular doctor about any other concerns you may have so you can make a more informed decision with regards to their healthcare needs.
For more here, or to learn about any of our home hospice care and related services, speak to the team at Suncrest Home Health and Hospice today.
