What Are the Best Ways to Prepare Any Room for Hospice Care?
Preparing your house for in-home hospice care can feel like a big project, but it’s simpler than you think. You don’t need to completely remodel a room or make your house a medical facility. You just need to create a safe, comfortable space where your loved one can receive care and spend time with family and friends.
Choose the Best Room for Home Care
The first step is to decide which room in your house is best suited for hospice care. Most people assume their loved one’s bedroom is the best option, but that’s not always the case. You want to choose a room that’s easy to reach, offers some privacy, and gives caregivers enough room to move around. Sometimes a bedroom, den, or living room on the first floor is a better option than an upstairs bedroom. You should also think about how close the room is to the bathroom. The shorter the distance, the better. Think about the rest of the household too. Some hospice patients prefer a quiet room away from the rest of the family, while others want to be in a central part of the house where they can see and hear people.
Clear and Organize the Space
Once you’ve picked a room, get rid of anything that makes it harder to move around. You don’t have to completely empty the room, though. Keeping a familiar chair, blankets, family pictures, and other belongings keeps the space feeling like home. However, it’s important to clear wide pathways around your loved one’s bed and through doorways. We recommend moving unnecessary furniture, electrical cords, boxes, and any other tripping hazards out of the way. We recommend removing rugs since they can slide or catch a foot, walker, or wheelchair. Clear your hallways too so your loved one and their caregivers can walk safely between the bedroom, the bathroom, and other parts of your house.
Prepare for a Hospital Bed and Other Medical Equipment
Depending on your loved one’s condition, your hospice team might arrange for a hospital bed and other medical equipment to be delivered to your house. This equipment might include a wheelchair, walker, bedside commode, over-bed table, oxygen equipment, patient lift, and shower chairs. Your hospice team will tell you what equipment they’re sending to your house and help you arrange it. Good placement makes repositioning, bathing, medication management and other parts of patient home care easier.
Keep Everyday Supplies Organized and Close By
We recommend having one organized area for all the things caregivers use most often. You can store these supplies in a closet, dresser, cabinet, nightstand or even a small storage cart. The basics include:
- Tissues
- Wipes
- Gloves
- Extra linens
- Incontinence supplies
- Water
- Lip balm
- Any other personal care items your loved one uses
Keeping these supplies in your loved one’s room or nearby cuts down on trips across the house. Wherever you put these items, make sure the area is organized. You want to be able to find supplies quickly if you have an emergency.
Understand Safety Considerations Related to the Room
A few simple adjustments can make your rooms safer for your loved one and the hospice team. We’ve already mentioned a few of these, but here’s a more complete checklist:
- Keep walking paths clear
- Improve lighting in the room and hallways used at night
- Remove rugs
- Keep everyday supplies organized
- Use mobility aids correctly
- Keep floors dry and consider adding non-slip surfaces and grab bars in the bathroom
- Secure cords and oxygen tubing
- Follow oxygen safety rules
- Keep the bed area accessible
- Avoid unstable furniture
- Keep emergency information easy to find
Make the Room Comfortable for Hospice Care
A good hospice space should support your loved one’s medical needs, but it should also feel peaceful and personal. Keep your loved one’s favorite blankets, photographs, music, books, or other meaningful items nearby. You can also use soft lighting to make the room more relaxing and add curtains and shades to control glare and natural light. Make sure you pay attention to the room’s temperature too. Keep extra blankets nearby if your loved one gets cold easily or use a fan if the room gets too warm.
The ultimate goal is to keep your loved one as comfortable as possible, not putting together a perfect medical setup. You want to adjust the room for healthcare, but it should still feel like a part of your home.
Leave Room for Family Members and the Care Team
Your loved one isn’t the only person who will be in the room. Your family, friends, and the care team will also be spending a lot of time there.
We recommend placing a comfortable chair near the bed if possible. You might want to add a small table for drinks, phones, and any other items you’ll have in the room during visits. Also make sure the care team has enough room to reach both sides of the bed.
A thoughtful setup is a big part of caregiver support. When supplies are organized, pathways and clear, and seating is available, both the hospice care team and your family caregivers can focus on spending time with your loved one instead of constantly working around the room.
Talk to Your Hospice Care Team Before Making Major Changes
You don’t have to figure out every part of hospice care on your own. Always talk with your hospice care provider before making any major purchases or moving heavy furniture. We can recommend equipment, suggest different room layouts, give you more tips on patient comfort, and point out safety concerns you may not have noticed.
Contact Bayou City Hospice Today
Hospice Care Services in the Houston Texas Area
Looking for a hospice care provider in the Houston Texas area? Contact Bayou City Hospice today to learn more about our hospice services and how we can help you prepare your home for care.