In assisted living, hospice brings specialized end-of-life care directly to residents in the place they call home. Assisted living facilities can provide a lifeline for families – compassionate, round-the-clock care for loved ones as they age. There are many assisted living facilities in South Jersey that provide skilled, detail-oriented, gentle care. But as a loved one deals with the complex medical needs surrounding a terminal or life-limiting illness, families may wonder, “Can my loved one utilize hospice care in assisted living?”
The answer is absolutely they can. Dedicated serious illness care providers like Samaritan regularly partner with assisted living facilities around the region to provide compassionate hospice care and support for individuals who are approaching the end of their life – and support and education for their loved ones too. How does hospice work in assisted living? Read on to learn more.
What is Hospice?
Hospice care exists to provide expert care, comfort, and support to patients with a terminal illness as they approach end of life. Generally, a patient can qualify for hospice care if a doctor determines that life expectancy is six months or less.
With hospice care from a provider such as Samaritan , patients and their families receive compassionate, coordinated care from a team of doctors, nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers. A special focus is given to addressing not just the physical and medical needs of a hospice patient, but addressing and supporting their emotional, mental, and spiritual needs as well. Hospice care helps a patient regain a sense of control and ease about their end-of-life journey.
Hospice is a type of care, not a place. Although some hospices provide dedicated hospice facilities for patients who need 24/7 care, hospice is most commonly provided in the comfort of one’s own home, whether that’s a family home or assisted living facility.
In New Jersey, hospice care is allowed in assisted living facilities, and the earlier you speak to the assisted living facility about how to incorporate hospice care into your loved one’s care, the better. This gives your family time to better understand the facility’s guidelines or requirements, and the hospice provider ample time to work with the assisted living facility on a care plan.
How Does Hospice Work in Assisted Living?
Hospice care providers and assisted living facility staff work together to provide patients with increased levels of care. A true team-oriented approach is important. Hospice is a specific and nuanced branch of medicine, and assisted living staff, while they may be excellent in the roles they perform, may not be properly trained to help patients with specific end of life needs. Assisted living staff may also have a tighter schedule, with several residents to look after and tasks to complete.
A patient utilizing hospice care at an assisted living facility would see the facility staff continue to help a resident fulfill the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) – the tasks a body must do to keep functioning. So assisted living facility staff would continue to help residents with bathing, basic grooming, dressing, providing meals, getting around, and more.
Hospice care adds to the patient’s care plan. It is an extra layer of clinical and comfort care that supplements the daily living care provided by the assisted living facility. While utilizing hospice, a patient can expect visits from certified home health aides to support activities of daily living; visits from hospice nurses to evaluate a patient’s status and administer care accordingly; visits from social workers and volunteers to provide education and emotional support; visits from chaplains to provide spiritual guidance and administer any religious requests.
What Will Hospice Provide in an Assisted Living Facility?
So how does hospice work in assisted living? Hospice care providers provide extra care:
- Samaritan aides support with daily activities such as washing, toileting, and dressing.
- Medical care including pain management and the oversight and administering of any hospice care-specific medication
- Supplying medical equipment
- Providing emotional and spiritual support through social workers, chaplains, and other support centers
- Complementary therapies including massage and aromatherapy, music therapy, and pet therapy
A hospice care team can also ensure that important discussions surrounding end-of-life decisions and needs are happening between the patient and family members or loved ones. Hospice care providers can help patients and families start vital conversations about goals of care, desired outcomes, fears and concerns, a defined quality of life, and more. These conversations are important to have with a loved one before a disease progresses too far, and hospice care providers can help facilitate those conversations.
Likewise, hospice provides other important support for family members, such as respite, caregiver education and training, 24/7 access to a nurse for questions, and bereavement counseling and support groups when needed.
Samaritan, for example , also proudly provides unique services for patients and families, including robotic companion pets, friendly calls or social visits from qualified and trained volunteers, and much more.
The Benefits of Hospice Care in Assisted Living
When assisted living is bolstered with hospice care, the effect is remarkable. While the goal of hospice is not to necessarily extend life but to provide the best quality for life’s final days, weeks and months, a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom ManagementJournal of Pain and Symptom Management found that those receiving hospice care survived for a longer period of time than those not enrolled in hospice. Another study from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services found that patients enrolled in hospice had less acute hospital stays prior to death, and that patients were more likely to receive prompt pain and symptom management than those not enrolled in hospice.
Coordinated Support for Patients and Families with Samaritan
Hospice care and assisted living work hand in hand to provide comfort, dignity, and compassionate support when it matters most. By combining the daily care offered by an assisted living community with the specialized expertise of a hospice team such as Samaritan, patients and families can focus on making the most of each day while receiving the physical, emotional, and spiritual support they need throughout the end-of-life journey.
If you’re considering hospice care for a loved one in an assisted living facility, Samaritan is here to answer your questions and help you understand the next steps. Contact Samaritan today to learn how our hospice team can support your loved one and family.