Hospice Care for Cancer Patients
While medical researchers have made great strides in cancer research, there often comes a point in which treatments are no longer effective and remission is out of reach. When a patient reaches this point, hospice can be a great benefit. The goal of hospice care for cancer patients is not to cure the disease, but rather to do whatever we can to make the patient comfortable in their final stages of life. This palliative care approach can often increase the patient’s quality of life and offers several other benefits.
Financial Assistance
Going through cancer treatments can be expensive even with the best insurance. Thankfully, hospice care is a Medicare benefit, which means patients and their families rarely have to pay anything out of pocket for hospice care.
A very common service provided to hospice patients with cancer is pain management. Hospice teams are specially trained to help patients cope with the physical and mental effects of chronic pain. When pain becomes very severe, we can offer 24/7 care, called continuous care, to ensure the patient’s pain is managed.
Hospice and palliative care is designed to treat all the needs of a patient, not just the physical symptoms. With that in mind, bereavement counseling is offered to patients and their families. This service can help everyone cope with the grief and depression that can accompany end of life care.
Respite Care
Caring for a loved one while they have cancer, or any terminal illness, can be exhausting. To help family members get a break from the demands of caregiving, hospices offer respite care. This is a level of care that allows the patient to receive up to five days of inpatient care to give the family caregivers some time to rest.
Going through end of life care and switching to a palliative care method can bring about some uncertainty. If you have questions about hospice care for cancer patients, please give Cura-HPC a call. One of our staff members will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have.