How To Choose The Best Hospice Care For Your Loved One

1:57 PM, Jul 02, 2018
2:39 PM, Jun 12, 2019

 

Trying to care for a dying family member is never easy, but it’s a little bit easier with the help of great professional hospice care.

Hospice care gives your loved one access to hospital bed, medications, and experts tailored to their needs right at home. Patients can also opt to go to a hospice facility.

No matter where the care is given, the one thing to remember is that signing up for hospice means the patient is getting the best quality of life for the time that’s left for him or her. It doesn’t mean medical care has ended, just that the focus has changed from finding the cure for a longer life to finding ways to be comfortable for the remaining days once all treatment options have been exhausted.

Here are 6 things to look for when making the tough decision to get hospice care for your loved one.

  1. Accreditation:Although hospices aren’t required have accreditations or certifications, those that do go the extra mile to make a commitment for providing quality care. While interviewing different organizations, find out if they have sought accreditations or certifications from agencies such as The Joint Commission, The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Certifications assure certain standards in quality care.
  2. Recommendations:Ask friends and acquaintances for recommendations. Someone who has had a prior experience with an agency can tell you the positives and weaknesses of the place.
  3. State or federal oversight:Find out if the hospice you are looking at has been surveyed by a state or federal oversight agency. Ask how recently they were surveyed and request a copy of the results. The Affordable Care Act requires hospices that accept Medicaid to complete surveys and provide data that show the quality of care at the facility.
  4. Patient population:There are small as well as large organizations that provide hospice care. Find out what best suits your loved one and family. Smaller places offer more personalized care, while larger organizations often have more resources.
  5. Caseload numbers:Ask about the average caseload. The fewer patients in the care of each nurse practitioner, the better the care. Ideally, a nurse practitioner should manage a caseload of less than a dozen patients.
  6. Board certified medical director:Hospices aren’t required to have a medical director with a board certification. But, a certified medical director tells you that he or she may have more experience, training and quality care to offer.

For great hospice services in South Texas, turn to Legacy Hospice. Since 1997, Legacy’s compassionate and highly skilled medical professionals have strived to provide compassionate, competent and cost-effective care to patients every day.

Legacy acknowledges the trust it takes for patients to invite health care providers into the home. All clinical staff members at Legacy are trained in the home health care field and licensed with the appropriate state board, so families can rest assured that their loved ones are provided with the best comfort and care.

Learn more about the Legacy Hospice services, which include hospice care. Use the map at their website to locate the Legacy office closest to you.

Contact Us

Legacy Corporate Offices

5277 Old Brownsville Rd.

Suite 205
Corpus Christi, TX 78405

1-800-874-5112

http://www.legacyhhc.com

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