What Are the Signs That Continuous Services Are Necessary?
The goal of hospice care is to keep your loved one as comfortable as possible. For many patients, routine visits from a hospice team are enough. But if your loved one’s pain becomes harder to manage, they may need more hands-on hospice support. This is where continuous care can help. Unfortunately, many families have a hard time deciding when they need continuous hospice services.
In this blog, we’ll help you understand when continuous hospice services might be the best option for your loved one. Contact Bayou City Hospice to ask about continuous hospice services if you notice any of these signs:
Uncontrolled Pain
Uncontrolled pain is one of the most common reasons families call for continuous hospice services. Sometimes a patient’s pain can be managed with scheduled medications and repositioning during routine hospice visits. But when a patient’s pain gets more intense and unpredictable, they may need a higher level of care. Contact your hospice team and ask for more hands-on symptom management if your loved one is experiencing significant pain that doesn’t improve after taking their medication or pain between doses of their medication.
Severe Breathing Issues
Breathing changes can be scary for both your loved one and your family. Some breathing issues are expected during end-of-life care, but severe distress should never be ignored. Your loved one may need more help if they start struggling to breathe, gasping, panicking, or if they can’t get comfortable. They might also be scared, restless, and have trouble speaking. We can help manage these acute symptoms, but sometimes this requires closer observation. Our goal during continuous hospice services is intensive comfort, not aggressive hospital treatment. We want to ease your loved one’s distress and help them feel as calm and comfortable as possible.
Agitation and Confusion
Some patients get confused and agitated as their condition advances. You might also notice they seem afraid, disoriented, or unable to settle. Some patients may even try to climb out of bed or remove their oxygen. This can be exhausting and upsetting for families. These behaviors are also concerning if your patient is at risk of falling. If your loved one has recently become a lot more agitated or confused, it might be time to upgrade to continuous hospice services.
Consistent Nausea and Vomiting
Consistent nausea and vomiting can make other symptoms worse. If your loved one can’t keep their food, fluids, or medications down, their pain, anxiety, and breathing issues may become harder to manage. This is especially concerning if your loved one relies on their scheduled medications to stay comfortable. If the nausea and vomiting are persistent and your patient’s condition is declining, ask your hospice team about crisis care. Continuous hospice services offer closer monitoring and medication adjustments to prevent nausea and vomiting.
Frequent Falls, Wandering, and Other Patient Safety Concerns
Many hospice patients get weak, confused, and restless as their illness progresses. As we mentioned before, sometimes patients will get confused and try to get out of bed without help. If your family feels like they need to watch your loved one every second of the day to prevent a fall or injury, it might be time for continuous hospice services. A patient who keeps trying to get out of bed because they’re in pain or confused may need a higher level of hospice care.
Rapid Physical Decline with Changing Symptoms
Sometimes a patient’s condition changes quickly over a few hours or days. Rapid declines may include:
- Worsening pain
- Increased weakness
- Breathing changes
- Reduced alertness
- New and worsening confusion
- Sudden inability to swallow medications
All of these symptoms can be part of the natural dying process, but if the changes feel sudden or intense, your family should call your hospice team immediately. Continuous hospice care services can help manage your loved one’s uncontrolled symptoms in a way that can’t be done through routine visits.
Caregivers Can’t Safely Manage Symptoms at Home
Family caregivers do an incredible amount of work to keep their loved ones as comfortable as possible during hospice. You help with medications, repositioning, personal care, meals, phone calls, and emotional support. But there are times when your patient’s situation is too hard to handle alone. It might be time for continuous hospice services if you’re unsure about:
- When to give medications,
- How to handle breathing issues
- How to respond to your loved one’s agitation and other mood changes
- Whether your loved one is suffering or not
- What do you do if your patient’s symptoms suddenly get worse
- When to call hospice for more help
Our continuous hospice teams can step in to help take care of your patient and offer you guidance. In many cases, we can stabilize short-term crises so your loved one can stay at home. Continuous hospice services can also help your family avoid more ER visits and frequent hospitalizations.
When Inpatient Hospice Care Might Be the Better Option
Continuous hospice care is helpful in many situations, but sometimes a patient’s symptoms are too severe or complex to be managed at home. In these situations, inpatient hospices might be the better option. Contact Bayou City Hospice today if your loved one’s condition is getting worse or you have a crisis. We can help you decide whether continuous care at home or inpatient hospice is the best option for your family.
Contact Bayou City Hospice for Continuous Care Services
Hospice Services in Houston, Texas
It’s hard to know exactly when your loved one needs continuous hospice services. But your family doesn’t have to make this decision alone. Contact Bayou City Hospice today if your loved one is experiencing any of the symptoms above. These changes may be signs that your patient needs more hands-on hospice care services.