When someone has a terminal illness, end-of-life decisions become very important. Decisions on where that person is going to die and how to take care of them until that point are very hard to make and can be very stressful on families. Luckily, there are resources out there that can help a family at that time. One of those resources is hospice care.

What Is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is medical care that is not geared towards curing a person. It is geared towards making a person comfortable as their illness progresses to its conclusion so that they can die with dignity, and usually happens at the person's or a family member's home. 

What Does Hospice Care Do?

Hospice care can do a lot of things. It isn't there for just the person who is ill. Hospice workers can also help family members as they are making these important decisions. That can include things like offering counseling to family members both before and after the death. Hospice also includes sitting down with the person who is ill and their family to see what the goals are and to plan what it will take to meet those goals.

Hospice care workers will also help to set up palliative care for the person who is dying. Palliative care consists of making sure that the person is comfortable. It can include things like IV nutrition and pain management. Often times during the curative segment of a person's care, their pain can't be completely managed. For example, necessary doses of painkillers can depress the respiratory system. That makes it difficult for the person to adequately oxygenate their bodies. However, palliative and hospice cares aren't there to make a person better, they are there to help a person die with dignity. That includes making sure that they have as much pain relief as possible. 

Hospice also makes sure that the care of the person who is ill doesn't fall solely on the family. Hospice workers come into the house and not only handle much of the medical care, but also offer respite care and simple day-to-day care. That allows the family to be with their loved one without all the stress of being caretakers. 

When it comes time for a person to die, they generally don't want to die in a hospital surrounded by strangers and in an unfamiliar place. They would rather die at home, with their friends and family around them, and with some dignity. Hospice care allows that to happen. 

For more information, contact a local home care company, like ComForcare - Buffalo Grove.