what do hospice nurses do

What Do Hospice Nurses Do at Home?

Los Angeles | Orange County | San Diego | San Francisco

Hospice nurses help people stay comfortable during the last days or weeks of their lives. They’re multi-talented and highly skilled professionals who have professional experience and training in helping people and their families when end-of-life care is a person’s best choice.

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care serves people with 6 months of life left or less. Hospice may last from a few days to several weeks or months, but it is always a form of palliative care that’s centered on helping people who have reached the end of their lives to be comfortable and enjoy their remaining time to the fullest. When a person reaches the need for hospice, recovery is no longer possible nor is it expected.

Unlike other forms of in-home private-duty nursing, hospice care is focused on relieving the symptoms of an illness or condition, rather than the disease itself.

Who Receives Hospice Care?

People who are appropriate for hospice care are usually at the final stage of a terminal disease process, and it is important to note that the care involved in home hospice nursing care is meant to relieve pain and alleviate the symptoms of a disorder. Hospice does not treat the underlying cause of such a disorder as recovery is no longer a viable option.

Many diseases and disorders can lead to hospice becoming the ideal care option, including:

  • Kidney disease or kidney failure
  • Heart failure
  • Late or end-stage cancer
  • Dementia
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Stroke
  • End-stage liver disease

When a person’s medical team feels that continuing treatment will be fruitless, a person can opt for hospice care, which focuses on making a person’s remaining days or weeks comfortable and as pleasant as possible.

What Do Kinkaid Private Care Hospice Nurses Do at Home?

Although there are many good hospice facilities, people usually choose home hospice. Home hospice is focused entirely on bringing palliative care to you or your loved one’s home. In palliative care, a person receives medication, if needed, to alleviate the uncomfortable or painful symptoms of their condition.

This is where hospice nurses enter the picture. Our hospice nurses are highly trained and compassionate professionals experienced in helping patients live the remaining days to months of their lives, with as little discomfort and the greatest degree of freedom possible.

In Home Hospice Services from Kinkaid Private Care

Private hospice nurses from Kinkaid Private Care provide care that manages symptoms, controls pain, and provides psychosocial support to patients and their families. In home hospice nursing care means you won’t have to leave the comfort and security of your home for anything.

Our primary services include:

  • In-Home Comfort: We tailor our caregiving plans to ensure you experience the highest levels of comfort and well-being in the security and convenience of your home.
  • Pain Management: One of the most important features of hospice care is having any pain you might experience managed by skilled nursing professionals. Our nurses are highly trained and possess decades of experience in hospice care pain management.
  • Medication Management: Our nurses are experts at effective medication management techniques and will administer, document, and coordinate all prescribed medications to aid in the reduction of pain and discomfort. They are specialists in palliative care and are always in contact with your loved one’s physicians and pharmacists about prescriptions.
  • Well-Being and Support: Ultimately, the goal of our hospice care is to enhance your loved one’s well-being as much as possible and to support you in any way we can.

We break down our support into the following four categories:

  • Maintaining Physical Health: Our nurses help you customize health plans, including nutrition, exercise, and other health plans to make sure your body is as symptom-free as possible.
  • Maintaining social connections: Your social life can be a great source of comfort and happiness. Our nurses ensure that you can visit with friends and family whenever possible. They can help coordinate visits as well.
  • Providing Emotional Support: Our nurses provide emotional support and a sense of positivity. They are trained to alleviate the emotional challenges that can come with hospice care.
  • Attending Spiritual Needs: We know that some of the largest aspects of end-of-life care are spiritual and religious concerns. Our hospice nurses are sensitive to those spiritual and religious needs and are trained to attend to any spiritual needs you or a loved one may have. If requested, our nurses can coordinate visits from spiritual or religious advisers.
  • Improved Quality of Life: A better quality of life is a major goal of hospice care, with freedom from pain a priority. Our nurses focus on making sure your quality of life meets your expectations.

We also ensure excellent communication with patients and families. Good communication is the key to handling something as complicated as hospice care. We prioritize communication with our patients and their families to ensure everyone is on the same page and that our patients receive everything they need in a timely and effective manner.

Why Choose Kinkaid?

At Kinkaid Private Care, we pride ourselves on offering the best hospice care in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. With decades of experience and a team of professionals that are both compassionate and capable, we can ensure that you or your loved one get exactly the right care needed during this difficult time. In addition, we only take on a few patients at a time to ensure that we can have a personal connection with everyone that seeks our services.

Our skilled nursing team can help ease this period of transition and ensure that your loved one is taken care of at this crucial time. When you’re ready, reach out to the team at Kinkaid Private Care by calling 866-337-4596 or by filling out our confidential online form.

Whatever your situation, know that Kinkaid Private Care will be here to help.

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How Does Hospice Work at Home

How Does Hospice Work at Home?

End-of-life care is all about increasing the quality of life and comfort in a person’s final days. For many, this means staying in their own home, rather than staying in a nursing home or medical facility. That’s what hospice work at home hopes to accomplish – allowing people to enjoy their last days to their fullest at the end of life’s journey.

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is a palliative treatment for people with a terminal illness. In the United States, this has typically been defined by the Medicare criteria for hospice care, which requires that an individual’s doctor determines that they have less than 6 months left to live. This could be due to any number of causes but is typically the result of serious disease progression.

Importantly, hospice care aims to ensure not only that you or your loved one are comfortable, but are still able to live your life as you see fit. Rather than just managing symptoms and providing routine medical services, hospice care aims to enrich and lengthen the last stage of life and promote individual functioning. This is done by providing comprehensive services that enable a person to keep up with the things that matter most to them.

Who Needs Hospice Care?

Typically, people enter hospice care after a serious disease has progressed past the point of treatment. This could include:

  • Late-stage cancer
  • Heart disease
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Dementia
  • Kidney failure

If you or a loved one have reached the point where physicians feel as though continuing to treat the disease wouldn’t be fruitful, hospice care can help enhance the last days of life. Choosing between hospice care at home compared to a hospice facility is a personal decision, but the vast majority of people will elect home care.

What Happens in Hospice Care at Home?

Hospice care is quite different than types of medicine. During hospice care, the goal is not to treat the disease, but rather to treat the disease’s symptoms. In this way, hospice care aims to reduce suffering and increase comfort. Basic medical needs are still addressed, but severe treatments which could reduce quality of life rather than improve it are generally omitted.

Much of hospice care revolves around the psychological aspects of this last stage of life. Hospice care often includes:

  • Spiritual care
  • Bereavement counseling
  • Ensuring that people’s last wishes and desires get fulfilled

With these practices, people in the last stage of life can spend their time doing the things they care about most.

How Does Kinkaid Help with Hospice Care?

Kinkaid Private Care provides continuous skilled nursing care alongside hospice agencies. This means that you or your loved ones will receive consistent attention for their medical needs and symptoms and remain as comfortable as possible. This includes several services and treatments designed to improve quality of life, which are outlined below.

Symptom and Pain Management

The topmost priority of our skilled nursing team is to ensure that the symptoms of the late-stage disease are managed appropriately. This includes pain management, ensuring high-quality sleep, and improving physical functioning. By thoroughly treating these symptoms, people can focus their energy and attention on more important matters, such as spending time with their loved ones.

Compassionate Support

At times, the symptoms of terminal illness can create obstacles to completing daily tasks. It might make it more difficult for you to get ready, prepare food, or move around the house. Our skilled nursing team can assist in these key domains and ensure that your illness doesn’t stop you from living as you see fit.

Counseling Services

Terminal illness can result in a heavy psychological toll. Being able to talk with people who are compassionate, understanding, and trained in end-of-life care can be a valuable tool to find peace and comfort during the last stages of life. Our hospice team has extensive experience in helping people during the end-of-life transition and can provide counseling services and an open ear to help people cope with this difficult time.

Medical Care

Even with a terminal illness, several medical issues can be treated quickly and efficiently with the help of a skilled nursing team. Competent hospice care can reduce unexpected hospital visits and the need to see outside providers for minor medical issues, giving families more time spent with each other, and less time spent in medical centers and waiting rooms.

Even during end-of-life care, nobody wants to deal with a sudden UTI or bacterial infection that can quickly be remedied with a round of antibiotics. Having our skilled nursing team available ensures that these problems are quickly diagnosed, prevented when possible, and treated appropriately.

Care Coordination

Hospice care typically involves several medical professionals. Your treatment team likely includes one or several physicians, a skilled nursing team, pharmacists, counselors, social workers, and many more. With Kinkaid Private Care’s continuous nursing services, our team can act as liaisons among this team of providers to ensure that you or your loved one’s needs get addressed straight away.

Part of our goal is to ensure that you gain full advantage of the resources available to you during home hospice care. Our team has decades of experience working with people and professionals in hospice and can keep you informed of your options and make this program work for you.

The Kinkaid Difference

At Kinkaid Private Care, we pride ourselves on offering the best possible nursing experience in the Los Angeles area. With decades of experience, concierge medical services, and a team of professionals that are both compassionate and capable, we can ensure that you or your loved one get exactly the care needed during this difficult time. In addition, we only take on a few patients on at a time to ensure that we can have a personal connection with everyone that seeks our services.

We know that this can be a difficult time for families. Our skilled nursing team can help ease this period of transition and ensure that you or your loved one are taken care of at this crucial time. When you’re ready, reach out to the team at Kinkaid Private Care by calling 866-337-4596 and set up a consultation for in-home hospice services.

FAQs

How many times a week does hospice come?

The frequency of visits is usually determined by your physician. Connect with us today to discuss more about how we work with your hospice agency.

At what point should hospice be called?

There are many reasons a family and/or patient might consider hospice care, mainly comfort services. Connect with our nurse case manager today to discuss the benefits of including a hospice team in your care plan.


What is usually not included in hospice care?

Typically any treatments or medications that are meant to cure are not included, along with continuous care for your loved one. Call us today to discuss how we work with your hospice agency to ensure you receive the highest level of consistent care possible.

Are all hospice patients bedridden?

No, not all hospice patients are bedridden. Every situation is unique, our team at Kinkaid can customize your level of care needs, call us today!

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benefits of hospice facility vs home

The Benefits of Hospice at Home vs a Facility

Hospice Facility vs Home

Los Angeles | Orange County | San Diego | San Francisco

Hospice facility vs. home care—an important choice when facing a loved one’s terminal illness. When a physician estimates six months or less to live, hospice care is often recommended. Understanding the benefits of hospice at home versus care in a facility can help families make the best decision for comfort and quality of life.

What is Hospice Care?

When a loved one faces a terminal illness, choosing between hospice care at home or a facility is a crucial decision. The benefits of hospice at home vs. a facility can make a significant difference, especially when a physician estimates six months or less to live. Read on to understand how hospice at home may offer comfort and convenience compared to nursing homes or assisted living facilities

What is At-Home Hospice?

Increasingly, patients who are facing end of life express a desire to pass away at home. This has made hospice home care a popular option for family members wanting to honor their loved one’s wishes. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reports that in 2021, 47.3% of Medicare patients who passed away were enrolled in hospice. This equates to 1.71 million hospice patients.

When an elderly patient elects in-home hospice, their doctor arranges for a local Medicare-certified hospice provider. A doctor then initiates the hospice care plan based on the patient’s needs and assigns them a care team. 

Hospice nurses initially visit the patient about twice a week, but are on call 24-hours a day, seven days a week. As their condition declines and patients require more care, the hospice nurse then increases their time with the patient.

What are the Advantages of At-Home Hospice Care?

When a family is facing the difficult reality that a loved one’s health is failing they will be offered some hospice options. Generally, there are two settings in which to receive hospice care, either an inpatient facility or at home. Inpatient hospice care might include a nursing home, a hospice center, or an assisted living facility. While those are viable options for end of life care, there are several benefits for receiving hospice care at home. These include:

  • Comfort at home. Patients who are in the final phase of life prefer to be in their familiar surroundings with their loved ones present. The home setting provides comfort and is less stressful than an inpatient setting. 
  • Relief for caregivers. In-home hospice relieves stress on the family. When hospice services are provided in the home, family members who had shouldered most of the caregiving now have support.
  • Conducive to visitors. Home hospice offers a more flexible environment than an inpatient setting. This allows for close friends and relatives to visit their loved one in the final days.
  • Personal care team. Home hospice providers typically assign a specific care team to that patient. This allows a relationship and trust bond to develop between the patient and the hospice care providers. Contrast this with inpatient settings where staff changes regularly.
  • Flexibility for family. Hospice at home allows for normalcy in the family routine. The patient’s spouse or primary caregiver may continue to work and engage in their daily routine to some extent.
  • Peace of mind. Home hospice offers an extra layer of security and peace of mind for both the patient and family members. There is knowledge that their loved one is being cared for and is safe.
  • Personal attention. Hospice at home provides more individualized attention to the patient and family members. As the patient declines, the hospice staff then provides continuous care around the clock.

What to Expect from Home Hospice Care

Hospice care services are multifold. There are several members that make up the hospice team, each providing different types of care. They include a physician, nurses, a social worker, and a spiritual care provider. The hospice team provides a variety of supportive functions:

  • Provides medical equipment and medications.
  • Dispenses medication for relief of symptoms and pain management.
  • Monitors the patient’s vital signs, weight, muscle mass, and demeanor.
  • Assists the patient and the family with the psychosocial, emotional and spiritual aspects of dying.
  • Instructs the family about how to best care for their loved one.
  • Coordinates special services, such as physical therapy or speech therapy.
  • Provides grief support and bereavement counseling to the family.

Kinkaid Private Nursing Care Coordinates Quality Home Hospice Care

Kinkaid Private Care is a private nursing care provider. Our expert hospice home nurses provide comfort and nurturing for loved ones who are facing the end of life. We provide nursing support, comfort care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support. In addition, we offer concierge holistic therapies that can provide added physical and emotional comfort and wellbeing. For more information about the benefits of home hospice care, please contact Kinkaid Private Care today at (866) 337-4596

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in home hospice care

What Is Hospice Care and Do I Need It?

Los Angeles | Orange County | San Diego | San Francisco

Also known as end-of-life care, hospice care refers to the care one receives for his or her final days or weeks. It is important to note that hospice care cannot cure a disease or prolong life; rather, this type of care is meant to provide comfort for a loved one.

Hospice care is a necessity if you would like to provide your loved ones with a sense of ease and comfort. The best hospice care focuses on the following four things:

Well-Being and Support:

The most important focus of hospice care should always be the well-being of the patient. The best care providers do everything possible to support the patient in every-day activities and make sure his or her life is as easy and stress-free as possible. This includes doing the following, among other things:

  • Organizing visits so your loved one has a healthy level of social activity and can see his or her family whenever appropriate.
  • Ensuring your loved one gets an appropriate level of physical exercise.
  • Always being there to support your loved one when needed. This means having caregivers who are trained experts in providing the appropriate care.

Improved Quality of Life:

Hospice caregivers should always prioritize improving the quality of life of their patients as much as possible. This means understanding each patient’s unique personality and situation to ensure they can provide the best customized care that can improve the quality of life for someone with a terminal illness. When seeking a hospice caregiver, if a provider does not immediately emphasize improving the quality of life of patients, we recommend looking elsewhere.

Medication Management:

Managing the medication schedule for hospice patients should also be a top priority for any caregiver. After all, as mentioned earlier, the primary goal of hospice care is to provide the best possible atmosphere for your loved one. And ensuring medication is administered appropriately and on-time is crucial for providing this type of atmosphere.

In-Home Hospice Care:

Hospice care is best done at home, as at-home care can provide the most comfort and peace. After all, part of feeling comfortable during hard times is being able to live peacefully in one’s own home. Because of this, we recommend seeking hospice care that can be done entirely at home.

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Get The Home Care You Need with Kinkaid:

If your loved one is in need of hospice care, please reach out to us to see how we can help. Kinkaid Private Nursing Care offers premium in-home services to patients looking for the best and most intensive care on the market. We only take on a few clients at a time, so we always provide specialized care to meet the needs of each client.

For more information, please visit our homepage and learn about the array of services we provide. These services include at-home hospice care, in-home nursing care, and the coordination of a variety of at-home medical services in the Los Angeles area, as well as home detox services all over the state of California. We also offer at-home Covid-19 testing.

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