Hospice in Nursing Facilities |
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Special services are available from Kansas City Hospice to meet the needs of seriously ill patients in nursing 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.
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.
Care 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.
- Updates for family, especially those who live out of town.
- Coordinating care and communicating with the patient’s physician.
- Assistance with bathing, dressing and other personal care.
- Medications, equipment, oxygen or whatever is needed.
- 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.
- Help bringing together the patient, family and facility staff to collectively solve any problems that may arise.
Collaboration With Nursing Facilities
An important part of what Kansas City Hospice does is collaborate with the facility staff to help meet the patient’s needs and to provide additional support for family members, such as helping with communication.
Hospice care does not replace the facility’s care but brings extra hands and hospice expertise to the patient’s bedside. Our staff specialize in working with patients who have life-limiting illnesses, allowing nursing homes to focus on their specialties, which include rehabilitation and geriatrics. We also can provide additional support to the facility staff.
We have teams who work only with patients in nursing facilities, so we get to know the staff and the facility and the unique needs of nursing home patients. We work with patients in the facility they choose.
Individualized Care
As a patient’s needs change, the Kansas City Hospice team adjusts visits and care accordingly, regularly communicating and coordinating with the facility staff.
Patients and families also can find support through Kansas City Hospice’s 11th Hour program, in which volunteers provide a comforting presence to patients who are in their final hours of life. The program is for patients who have no loved ones near, or to provide extra support to the patient and family.
How Care Begins
Care starts with a phone call from the patient’s physician, a nursing facility staff member, hospital staff member, a family member or the patient. Call 816-363-2600 to schedule an information visit to see how Kansas City Hospice can help and whether hospice or another program is right for you. Or, contact us online. |
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