Hospice Care in Yardley PA: All too many aging family members make the move to hospice care later than they should do so. If you’re concerned about that being the case for your aging family member, these tips can help you to figure out when it’s right to make the change.
Many family members and caregivers hear the term hospice and think automatically that it means that the end is imminent for their aging adult. Because of that fact, you and the rest of your family might put off the talk about hospice care until much later than you really should.
Talk to Your Senior’s Doctor
You’ve likely built a strong relationship with your elderly family member’s doctor, but it’s definitely important to focus on her prognosis and what her doctor has to say about her future health and well-being. Terminal ailments are ones that are going to be with your aging adult from now until the very end. Managing them well before that time can do so much for your elderly family member and for you.
Focus on Quality of Life
Very often the focus when caregivers and family members are considering hospice care is how long their elderly family member has left. The focus really should be on your senior’s quality of life. If her daily experience is one that isn’t all that great because she feels as if she’s constantly being poked and prodded to no avail, that’s not a fantastic quality of life. Shift your focus to consider how enjoyable life is for her now.
Address Activities of Daily Living
Once your elderly family member starts having difficulty with activities of daily living, those issues are likely to become worse instead of better. So if your senior is having trouble rising from a seated position, showering, or feeding herself, hospice providers can be a tremendous help.
Severe Symptoms Need Help Sooner
The more severe that your senior’s symptoms are, the sooner she may need to move to hospice services. Some of the symptoms you really should consider could include trouble breathing, pain, and difficulty moving. Talk to your aging adult about how these symptoms impact her daily and work out whether hospice could be the right direction.
There’s no perfect time to move to hospice care, so don’t worry that you’re making a wrong decision. Just focus on making the best decisions possible for your elderly family member.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hospice care in Yardley, PA, please contact the caring staff at Serenity Hospice today. Call (215) 867-5405.
Michael Drew, LNHA
Michael Drew LNHA is the administrator of Serenity Hospice PA, servicing the greater Bensalem and Philadelphia areas. In this capacity, he leads and inspires the company’s mission of providing quality and compassionate end-of-life care and supportive services for patients and their families, and to enhance their quality of life. Michael’s hallmark is his genuine concern for patients and his dedication to meeting their needs.
A veteran of providing quality healthcare, Michael has served with distinction in a variety of leadership capacities for nearly two decades, notably as administrator for several Skilled Nursing Facilities in New Jersey. Known as an innovative and solution-oriented individual, Michael has his finger on the pulse on new trends and concepts in providing quality care.
