Hospice in Assisted Living |
 |
|
Special services are available from Kansas City Hospice to meet the unique needs of seriously ill patients in assisted living facilities and to complement care the facility provides.
Hospice care is for patients who are focused on comfort and can be most helpful to patients who have a prognosis of months, rather than years. A plan of care is developed for each patient, tailored to meet the patient’s needs and maximize quality of life.
Patients receive regular visits from the Kansas City Hospice staff, experts at making patients as comfortable as possible.
Care from Kansas City Hospice includes:
- Educating the patient and family on care needs, the disease process, nutrition, medications, physical changes and emotions.
- Regularly assessing the patient’s condition and comfort.
- Addressing pain or other symptoms and recommending adjusting medications when necessary to maximize comfort, energy conservation and enhance quality of life.
- Assistance with nursing procedures and other technical help.
- Coordinating care and communicating with the patient’s physician.
- Assistance with bathing, dressing and other personal care.
- Updates for family, especially those who live out of town.
- Medications, equipment, oxygen and other needed supplies.
- Providing support to ease emotional and spiritual distress for the patient and family.
- On-call nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for questions and visits.
- Help arranging additional resources if needed.
Our staff specialize in working with patients who have life-limiting illnesses. Team members visit patients regularly and are never more than a phone call away.
A registered nurse provides care and also coordinates care with the facility staff and with the other members of the Kansas City Hospice team. Social workers, chaplains, home health aides, volunteers and other therapists are available to visit the patient and family and provide support. Art and music therapists, plus and a child/teen specialist, are available and can be especially helpful if there are children or grandchildren in the family.
Collaboration With Facilities
An important part of what Kansas City Hospice does is collaborate with the assisted living facility staff to help meet the patient’s needs and to provide additional care for family members, such as helping with communication and providing emotional support and updates to families. We work with patients in the facility they choose.
Individualized Care
The extra one-on-one attention and personal care can allow the patient to remain independent longer in the assisted living facility.
As a patient’s needs change, the Kansas City Hospice team adjusts visits and care accordingly. The team also can help the patient and family identify additional resources as needed. This could include care in another setting, such as a nursing home, or arranging additional support to help the patient stay at the assisted living facility. Maintaining the independence and dignity of patients is of utmost importance.
How Care Begins
Care starts with a phone call from the patient’s physician, a facility staff member, a hospital staff member, a family member or the patient. Call 816-363-2600 to schedule an assessment to see how Kansas City Hospice can help and whether hospice or another program is right for you. Or, contact us online. |
|
|
 |
|
|
