Hospice Care at Home for Cancer Patients

Hospice Care at Home for Cancer Patients: What You Need to Know

Starting hospice care can help ease many of the pains and challenges of a late-stage cancer diagnosis. It provides dignity, comfort, and support during this incredibly difficult period – and can vastly improve you or your loved one’s quality of life. 

Understanding Hospice Care for Cancer Patients

Hospice care is a specialized, comprehensive type of care for people experiencing life-limiting illness such as advanced cancer. Its primary role is to improve the personal well-being of the patient during the final stage of life, and to provide comfort to both the patient and their family.

Hospice care is not concerned with treating the disease itself. A hospice team instead works to help resolve uncomfortable symptoms, provide pain relief, and to help guide patients and families through the end-of-life transition. A comprehensive home hospice care program includes medical, emotional, and spiritual support components to help patients and family members during a life-limiting cancer diagnosis.

Though hospice care is related to this end-of-life period, it is an inherently life-affirming style of care. It allows cancer patients the opportunity to spend their last days with a higher quality of life, to cherish their time with friends and family, and to spend this time focusing on what matters most to them.

Benefits of Hospice Care at Home

Hospice care at home extends this life-affirming approach even further, by providing care where you or your loved one already feel most comfortable. But there are a number of benefits for home hospice care outside of the location alone:

  • Truly personalized care. Compared to treatment at a hospital or nursing home, hospice home care provides substantially more individualized treatment. Hospice care at home guarantees you have your medical provider’s full attention and provides truly one-on-one care.
  • Emotional and spiritual support. Hospice care at home is about more than just symptom relief – with our providers offering both emotional and spiritual support for cancer patients and their families.
  • Maintaining quality of life. Life with a late-stage cancer diagnosis can cause a number of uncomfortable and painful symptoms. Home hospice care can drastically improve these symptoms, allowing patients to focus on what matters most.

Living through the final stages of a cancer diagnosis is never easy – but compassionate hospice care can make the process much more comfortable for families and patients alike.

Services Offered at Home-Based Hospice Care

Home-based hospice care offers several services to cancer patients to restore dignity and quality of life. The main services of hospice care fall into two main categories – medical care, and emotional and spiritual support.

Medical Care

Home hospice medical care brings the treatment and monitoring you would expect at a hospital or medical facility into the home. This includes services such as:

  • Pain management
  • Symptom control
  • Medication administration

Pain is one of the most common symptoms for cancer patients, and often the primary concern. Hospice care can provide a number of different approaches to help manage pain, providing substantial relief for cancer patients. Other common symptoms – such as nausea, spasms, or difficulty breathing can be treated with appropriate medications.

Emotional and Spiritual Support

The nature of hospice care makes emotional and spiritual care an essential component of a comprehensive care program. A hospice care team can help relieve end-of-life anxiety through compassion, companionship, and an emphasis on the connections and relationships that can help patients approach life’s final transition in dignity and grace.

Kinkaid Private Care’s holistic hospice care options can include counselling or chaplain services to families who want additional support.  

How to Arrange Hospice Care at Home

Starting at-home hospice care is as simple as calling Kinkaid Private Care to speak to one of our medical professionals by dialing 866-337-4596 or by filling out our confidential online contact form for a no-obligation consultation. Our team can help walk you through setting up the home hospice process, and will be there to support you and your family through every step of the journey.

Once you’ve started our services, our team will meet with the patient and family to start developing a customized treatment plan. No two home hospice plans are alike – each is tailored to the unique needs of each patient and family, to ensure that you get the most out of our services.

Common Concerns and FAQs

Does Home Hospice Care Include Cancer Treatment?

No. Hospice care is meant for people who don’t have curative treatment options available, or who no longer wish to seek these treatment options. Instead, hospice care is meant to provide comfort, dignity, and symptom relief after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

How Long Does Starting Home Hospice Care Take?

We understand that starting hospice care is a time sensitive concern, and the team at Kinkaid Private Care takes all the steps possible to ensure you meet with your treatment team straight away.

How Long Does Hospice Care Last?

The length of hospice care depends on each patient’s needs and the progression of the cancer diagnosis, though it is typically meant for the last few months of life-limiting illness. Our team regularly evaluates the needs of each patient, and whether hospice care is still needed or desired. 

What Is the Role of the Family in Hospice Care?

Family can be involved in hospice care as much as they like, and may benefit from the emotional and spiritual support services offered by a comprehensive home hospice program. At Kinkaid Private Care, we prioritize excellent and timely communication with family members, so that you know your loved one is in good hands.

Call Kinkaid Private Care Today

If your loved one is dealing with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis, hospice care can dramatically improve their quality of life and provide much needed support for friends and family. Home hospice care through Kinkaid Private Care can help ease many of the difficult symptoms associated with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis, and help patients and family alike with the emotional and spiritual challenges of life’s final transition.

Call our team today at 866-337-4596 or fill out our online contact form for more information on how to get started today.

in home hospice care

In-home hospice care is an increasingly popular home health service option that is available for anyone experiencing end-of-life issues, not just senior citizens. It allows people who have reached the end of their lives to remain at home while receiving the highest quality of life possible.

If you’re looking for the best in-home hospice care, Kinkaid Private Care delivers the highest-quality premium home hospice care in California.

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care refers to an array of specialized health services people may choose to receive during their last few weeks or months of life. Specifically, hospice care is appropriate for those with 6 months of life or less remaining. Also known as end-of-life care, hospice care can be delivered in specialized facilities; however, more and more people are opting to receive hospice care in the privacy and comfort of their own home.

Hospice care is not curative; it is not aimed at stopping, slowing, or treating any disease or medical condition. Instead, hospice focuses on providing people with a high quality of life by controlling the symptoms of a disease or disorder. Pain management is also a major cornerstone of hospice care.

What Services Does Kinkaid’s In-Home Hospice Care Offer?

Everyone seeking hospice care has unique needs, and Kinkaid delivers uniquely customized care based on the client’s needs and desires. Kinkaid Private Care employs highly trained and experienced nursing specialists who work with you to build an individualized care plan, including these hospice treatment services:

  • Pain Management: Pain management is a top priority in hospice care. Kinkaid’s team of nursing care professionals are trained and highly experienced in managing the pain that comes from terminal illnesses.
  • In-Home Convenience and Comfort: All of your individualized in-home hospice care comes to you in the security and comfort of your home. Kinkaid’s nursing specialists are experts at delivering the highest quality hospice care in the unique environment found in a private home.
  • Improved Quality of Life: The overriding goal of Kinkaid in-home hospice care is to improve a person’s quality of life. Our focus is always on helping you or your loved one get the most out of the care process.
  • Well-Being and Support: Ultimately, the goal of our hospice care is to enhance your or your loved one’s well-being as much as possible and to support you in any way we can.

We break down our support services into the following four categories:

  • Supporting Physical Health: Our in-home hospice nurses help you create individualized exercise, nutrition, and other health plans to ensure your body is able to fight off symptoms as much as possible. Reducing symptoms helps you or your loved one feel better and maximizes the benefits of your hospice care.
  • Enhancing Social Attachments: We make sure you are able to maintain your social life whenever possible. Our nurses are trained to ensure our patients receive the right amount of social attachment and are able to see their friends and family whenever possible. They can help coordinate visits as well.
  • Providing Emotional Support: Our nurses are there for you or your loved one to provide emotional support and a sense of positivity whenever necessary. They are trained to alleviate the emotional challenges that can come with hospice care.
  • Attending to Spiritual Needs: Our team is trained to attend to any spiritual needs you or your loved one may have. Our nurses are also able to coordinate visits from spiritual or religious advisers if requested.
  • Medication Management: Kinkaid’s nurses are experts at efficient and effective medication management. That includes administering, documenting, and coordinating all prescribed medications to aid in the reduction of pain and discomfort. Kinkaid Private Care’s nursing professionals are palliative care specialists and are always in contact with your or your loved one’s physicians about prescriptions.
  • Excellent Communication with Patients and Families: Good communication is key for anything, especially for 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.

Who Qualifies for Hospice Care?

People chose hospice care when further treatment for a disease offers no chance of improvement. Just a few of the more serious diseases this involves includes:

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

Who Provides Our Care?

Kinkaid’s team of in-home nurses have decades of palliative care experience and provide our in-home hospice care. Our nurses provide kind, compassionate, and high-quality in-home care according to the highest ethical and medical principles and practices while making sure communication with family members always flows both ways.

Where Is Our At-Home Care Available

Kinkaid in-home hospice care is provided throughout the Los Angeles area. We cover Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Westwood, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu, Holmby Hills, Cheviot Hills, Culver City, Beverly Glen, Beverlywood, and surrounding cities in California.

Why Choose Kinkaid?

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. Additionally, not only do we specialize in premium care, but we also practice proper management techniques to ensure your care is organized, efficient, and best for you.

Overall, we create a concierge medical experience for each of our clients. Our approach starts with building relationships with each of our clients and their families; we get to know you in the comfort and privacy of your home to understand your exact needs. We then create a personal care team for you consisting of at least a clinical nurse specialist, clinical case manager, and care coordinator. Our compassionate teams are clinician-led and available to you 24/7 to provide unparalleled service and attention to detail.

For more information, please call us at 866-753-9225 or fill out our contact form below.

Private Duty Nursing for the Wealthy

Los Angeles | Orange County | San Diego | Bay Area

Kinkaid Private Care offers the best private duty nursing in California, delivering concierge luxury in-home nursing care to you in the comfort and privacy of your home. Our services always include individualized health and medical care tailored to your unique needs.

What is Private Duty Nursing for the Wealthy?

There was a time when medical aftercare and follow-along services were provided at a clinic or physician’s office, but that’s no longer true. Premium luxury private duty nursing delivers exceptional medical services at a person’s residence, removing the fuss and bother of scheduling and commuting to clinic appointments and doctor’s visits.

Private duty nursing brings the most talented and experienced nursing professionals into a person’s home, removing the need for visits to the doctor’s office and clinics, but at-home private duty nursing isn’t only about convenience and privacy.

With in home nursing, you also will enjoy better health outcomes. Research has consistently shown private duty nursing leads to better health recovery than traditional follow-along care.

Private duty nursing allows a person to enjoy the finest quality of nursing assistance while enjoying the independence and freedom of staying in one’s own home.

No one wants to spend days or weeks in a hospital setting, which can be noisy and stressful. The idea of receiving the same level of nursing expertise, or better, within the comfort of your home is an appealing option.

What Services Are Offered Under Private Duty Nursing?

All private duty nursing services deliver confidentiality, privacy, comfort, and improved health outcomes.

In-Home Senior Care In-Home Cancer Care In-Home Hospice Care
Nursing Case Management Mental Health Home Care Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Neurological Care Hospital Discharge Planning 24 Home Care
In-Home Caregivers In-home Detox Private Home Healthcare

What Concierge Services are Available in Luxury Home Healthcare?

By adding special services to the in-home healthcare experience, patients can enjoy an improved overall healing experience. These concierge services help the individual feel uniquely cared for while improving mood and reducing stress at the same time.

Taking the home healthcare experience to the next level, private duty nursing may provide additional upscale personalized treatment offerings to further enrich the healing process. These special concierge services provide a heightened degree of physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort, which contribute to aiding the healing process.

The mission of the luxury home healthcare provider is to offer the highest degree of comfort and well-being possible within the patient’s own home while simultaneously delivering the best medical outcomes.

Luxury services might include:

  • Yoga classes
  • Massage therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • IV vitamin therapy
  • Gourmet chef
  • Guided imagery or meditation
  • Personal trainers
  • Beauty services

Enjoying some personal care experiences can help anyone feel better, no matter what medical event they are dealing with.

Private Duty Nursing Services

Our goals are simple. We provide our clients with the best in-home nursing care for the wealthy while preventing unnecessary re-hospitalizations, improving health outcomes, and ensuring a private, confidential, comfortable healing experience.

Kinkaid Private Care offers all of the following luxury private duty nursing services:

At Home Doctor IV Infusion Therapy at Home At Home Lab Draw
At Home Chest X-Ray 24 Hour Home Care At Home EKG

Who Provides Private Duty Nursing for the Wealthy?

Our care is provided by Kinkaid’s team of in-home nurses. Our compassionate and skilled nurses have decades of experience caring for the variety of medical needs you and your family may be experiencing. Our nurses are trained to provide the highest quality care in a kind and professional manner, while also ensuring excellent communication with families.

Why Choose Kinkaid Private Care?

People choose Kinkaid Private Care because they are looking for the best treatment available. The typical one-size-fits-all approach to in-home nursing support offered by other providers just isn’t good enough for clients wanting luxury individualized treatment, the kind of health assistance that is so essential to the healing process.

Kinkaid Private Nursing Care offers premium in-home services to patients looking for the best and most intensive care. We only take on a few clients at a time, so we always provide specialized treatment to meet the needs of each client. Additionally, not only do we specialize in premium care, but we also practice proper case management techniques to ensure your care is organized, efficient, and best for you.

Overall, we create a concierge medical experience for each of our clients. Our approach starts with building relationships with each of our clients and their families; we get to know you in the comfort and privacy of your home to understand you or your loved one’s specific needs and desires.

We then create a personal treatment team for you consisting of at least one clinical nurse specialist, clinical case manager, and care coordinator. Our teams are clinician-led and available to you 24/7 to provide compassionate, unparalleled service and attention to detail.

Contact one of our nurse specialists by calling 866-337-4596 or filling out our confidential online form. Whatever your situation, know that recovery and better health are possible – and that Kinkaid Private Care will be here to help.

Works Cited

Private Duty Nursing. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 5/17/2023. https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/workforce-issues/private-duty-nursing/

Romagnoli KM, Handler SM, Hochheiser H. Home care: more than just a visiting nurse. BMJ Qual Saf. 2013 Dec;22(12):972-4. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002339. Epub 2013 Aug 12. PMID: 23940375; PMCID: PMC4120108.

what do hospice nurses do

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.

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!

benefits of hospice facility vs home

Considering Home Hospice Care?

Los Angeles | Orange County | San Diego | Bay Area

When someone you love is facing a terminal illness, there are some important decisions to be made. One of those regards hospice care. Hospice care is recommended to family members when the physician determines a patient has six months or less to live. Read on to learn about the benefits of hospice at home compared to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice care offers comprehensive comfort and support to patients who are facing the final stage of life. This type of care is different than medical care, as it suspends treatment or any hope of curing the patient. The primary goal of hospice is to minimize pain and discomfort and to provide the highest quality of life possible.

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

in home hospice care

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.