{"id":7872,"date":"2023-12-19T07:01:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T07:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/?p=7872"},"modified":"2024-09-21T09:46:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-21T09:46:58","slug":"the-role-of-family-caregivers-in-hospice-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/the-role-of-family-caregivers-in-hospice-care\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Family Caregivers in Hospice Care"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is someone you hold dear ready for <a href=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/hospice\/\">hospice<\/a> care?<\/p>\n<p>The admission process begins with a consultation, and most hospice agencies in the Virginia Beach area will send a representative out to your loved one\u2019s home \u2013 or wherever they reside \u2013 at no cost and without any obligation to accept services. During the consultation, anyone can ask questions or raise concerns, as the meeting is intended to be informational.<\/p>\n<p>That being so, a key part of every hospice consultation is a discussion about who will attend to the daily needs of the patient. Members of the hospice team visit on a regular basis, as it\u2019s their job to ensure the individual is as comfortable as possible. But hospice physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, counselors, therapists, aides and volunteers are there to provide support, not to serve as primary caregivers \u2013 that\u2019s the role of the patient\u2019s loved ones.<\/p>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9134 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach.webp\" alt=\"hospice Virginia Beach\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach.webp 1000w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-79x53.webp 79w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-900x600.webp 900w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-675x450.webp 675w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-24x16.webp 24w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-36x24.webp 36w, https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/hospice-Virginia-Beach-48x32.webp 48w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>Hospice Care and the Tasks of Family Caregivers<\/h2>\n<p>When a loved one has a life-limiting illness, arranging for hospice care is beneficial. Hospice services enable patients to live out their remaining time in comfort, and <a href=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/an-overview-of-the-medicare-hospice-benefit\/\">the costs are covered by Medicare<\/a>, Medicaid and most private health insurance plans.<\/p>\n<p>Most hospice care provided \u2013 more than 98 percent \u2013 is at the routine home care level. In other words, hospice comes to wherever the individual calls home. And while Virginia Beach hospice agencies make every effort to ensure a patient\u2019s needs are met, family members typically act as the main caregivers. The role is an important one, and it involves a range of tasks. If you\u2019re called upon to care for a loved one, you might be responsible for any or all of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assisting with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and eating<\/li>\n<li>Handling the household shopping, cleaning, cooking and laundry<\/li>\n<li>Paying bills, running errands and providing transportation to appointments<\/li>\n<li>Monitoring symptoms and keeping track of medication administration<\/li>\n<li>Helping to ensure that your loved one receives the services they need<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As the loved one of a hospice patient, you might act as their advocate, making sure that physical pain and psychological suffering are minimized. You may end up being their emotional punching bag as well, and in that case, you\u2019ll need to provide support \u2013 listening and offering solace without judgment.<\/p>\n<p>Being the primary caregiver of a hospice patient can be rewarding, but it can also be a rather demanding position. With that in mind, caregiver support is an essential part of hospice care.<\/p>\n<h2>How Hospice Agencies Support Family Caregivers<\/h2>\n<p>Some tasks family caregivers handle for hospice patients are routine and require no training \u2013 things like cleaning the house, doing the laundry and preparing meals are in the wheelhouse of most adults. But what about symptom monitoring, medication management and the other tasks that require some degree of skill and knowledge?<\/p>\n<p>Caregiver learning can be a process of trial and error, and with regard to food choices, communication and helping the patient move from one spot or position to another, this approach can make sense. However, family caregivers shouldn\u2019t be left to muddle through, and they shouldn\u2019t have to address challenges on their own. Fortunately, Medicare-approved hospice agencies \u2013 like Suncrest Hospice of Virginia Beach \u2013 have 24-hour nurse triage hotlines. When a caregiver has questions or concerns, help is just a phone call away.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, that\u2019s not an adequate amount of support. Family caregivers tend to appreciate a more guided learning process, with in-depth instructions provided by members of the hospice care team. That\u2019s the strategy we take here at Suncrest. Families can always contact us, but we aim to make sure that caregivers always have the information they need to properly care for loved ones throughout the hospice journey.<\/p>\n<h2>Respite Care \u2013 A Break for Family Caregivers<\/h2>\n<p>Caring for a <a href=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/how-does-hospice-respite-care-work\/\">loved one with a life-limiting illness is incredibly stressful<\/a>. Addressing their needs as quickly as possible is the priority, and can be rather challenging. Plus, acting as the primary caregiver of a hospice patient can be like taking a full-time job \u2013 yet many people in this position already have jobs, and every caregiver has their own life to lead.<\/p>\n<p>When family caregivers are overwhelmed, exhausted or having trouble coping, hospice respite care offers relief. Having others take the reins lifts the burden, and taking a break allows for renewed energy and patience.<\/p>\n<p>Caregivers of Virginia Beach hospice patients have the right to request respite care when in need of time away, whatever the reason. Quite often, it\u2019s to relax and recharge, but hospice respite assistance can also be arranged for the purpose of attending a graduation, wedding or any other important event. In any case, Medicare covers respite care, and hospice patients can receive care at a local facility for up to five days each time respite is requested. However, there may be a small copayment involved.<\/p>\n<p>If you become the primary caregiver for a loved one, you\u2019ll be an essential member of their <a href=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/location\/virginia\/\">hospice<\/a> team \u2013 but remember to take care of yourself, too. With <a href=\"\/\">Suncrest Hospice<\/a> of Virginia Beach, you\u2019ll have the support you need. For more on the role of family caregivers in hospice, or to speak to one of our helpful team members today, <a href=\"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/contact\/\">contact us now<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is someone you hold dear ready for hospice care? The admission process begins with a consultation, and most hospice agencies in the Virginia Beach area will send a representative out&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":9134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7872"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9135,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7872\/revisions\/9135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matrixbricks.us\/suncrest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}