A hospice is a service for the terminally ill or dying, where curative treatment has been abandoned in favor of active relieving care. The patient is offered palliative care, compassionate care and the presence of health professionals.
For some terminally ill people, spending their last days in their own home can provide a sense of reassurance. This can make it easier for the dying person and their family to cope with the last days, and provide reassurance and peace of mind to say goodbye before the patient passes away.
What is a home hospice?
With a home hospice, the terminally ill or dying person can receive terminal care in their own home. A team of private nurses will be available 24 hours a day, taking care of all practical tasks as well as coordination with your doctor, hospital and home care. They can provide medication and pain relief when needed, so that the patient does not have to wait for an emergency team or home care. This way, the patient and their relatives can concentrate on saying goodbye.
The option of home hospice with private nursing care pays special attention to the needs that the dying person may have in the last phase of life. The team of private nurses provides 24-hour care, nursing and palliation in the home. They are trained to focus on alleviating the challenges of the dying. This can be to relieve pain, breathlessness, agitation, anxiety or anything else.
Why choose a home hospice?
A home hospice allows the patient to be surrounded by everything they are familiar with, and it will feel more natural to be with their relatives in a homely setting. Maybe the dying person has a house where the grandchildren can play in other rooms when they can’t sit still anymore. This allows them to be there for longer – rather than if you had a room in a hospice.
Dying can be lonely – whether you are alone or have close relatives. For example, if you are dying alone and wish to pass away in your own home, it may be safer to be surrounded by private nurses. The patient will still be alone in facing the imminent end of life, but with a home hospice, there is time and a professional approach to have those long talks about the fear of dying and what comes next.
The team of private nurses can talk to the dying person about memories and regrets throughout life. For example, the ill person may have thought that in retirement they would finally have time to travel with their spouse. Instead, the person was diagnosed with an incurable cancer with only a short time to live. It may help to talk to a third party with nursing expertise about this.
A help for the relatives
As a relative of a terminal patient, a home hospice with the assistance of private nurses can take over the nursing care and practical coordination, allowing relatives to spend time with their loved ones and, most importantly, sleep. They can rest assured that someone is with your loved one all the time while they sleep.
With a home hospice, there is a strong focus on the needs and wishes of the dying person, as well as the ability of relatives to be with their loved ones in their final days. This way, the dying person can end a long and happy life with dignity, together with their family.
Read more about hospice and home hospice here:
