Why Hospice
At Los Angeles Hospice we know that it is never easy to let go of caring for the ones we love. It is often one of the most challenging and heart-wrenching decisions a family must make. When the time comes to seek out a hospice team, all members of an immediate family will need to process the fact that it is time to let go in the most loving way possible. End-of-life can be a very meaningful and bonding time spiritually for family members, but first there must be acceptance, not only of the family but of the patient, as well.
Most often, the patients have an inner knowing that their time on Earth is drawing near. Typically, it is the family who hangs on not willing to accept a terminal prognosis. In times when a terminal illness has lingered, death is seen as a relief for the loved one. Yet, it is still difficult to accept the finality of the final passage.
When families finally accept that the best and most loving course of action is hospice care, the last months, weeks or days become even more filled with meaning. At Los Angeles Hospice, we know that the family unit is emotionally vulnerable. We are here to help not only the patient, but the family maintain the highest possible quality-of-life until the end.
We stand ready to provide your entire family unit with the most compassionate hospice support and heartfelt hospice care for your loved one.
Loving Truly Means Helping Your Loved One Let Go
So often, terminally ill patients hang on to life so as not to cause sorrow to their family. They bear pain so they can live to see another day and the faces of those who they love and who love them. When the final days are spent in fear, the beauty of life and sacredness of the final transition may be missed.
When a family has the courage to understand that end of life is inevitable and a natural part of the life cycle, they can finally let go and secure a situation of optimal care and comfort during the final transition. It is in this environment that something amazing happens. Each individual relationship with your loved one takes on a deeper dimension. Unspoken words are said. If forgiveness is needed, it happens. It becomes okay to sit in silence, or share laughter, or play music or simply one moment at a time in reverence of this special time.
A hospital or nursing home is limited in what they can do to augment pain management without breaching medical boundaries. At the core of hospice care is keeping each patient comfortable and cared for medically, psychologically, spiritually and kept in the least amount of pain.
End of Life Without Pain
Some terminal illnesses are more brutal than others. Before a patient comes to hospice they may have lived with years of pain at varying levels. When a patient finally comes to hospice they often report complete pain relief. The staff at Los Angeles Hospice is highly skilled at medical management of pain medication. It is a relief not only to the patient to be out of pain, but to the families who often realize that had they opted for hospice care earlier in the end-of-life cycle that useless suffering could have been avoided. There is not a time limit to how long a patient can be under hospice care. The only condition that must be met is that the patient is medically diagnosed with a terminal condition as their final prognosis.
When a loved one is facing a terminal prognosis each family member needs to do the soul searching necessary to come to terms with the finality of the prognosis. Once everyone is ready to accept that hospice care is best for their loved one, the final chapter can begin in love, dignity with the utmost of kindness and compassion.
It is hard to measure time during the end-of-life. Sometimes days go by quickly and others seem to linger longer, then the final day arrives. When it does, the memory of the qualitative time spend with your loved one will remain for the rest of your lives. When you remember your loved one, you will remember the warmth, love and harmony of your final days together and they will be a source of strength and unity for all family members for many years to come.
Understanding the Unfoldment of End-of-Life
Every terminally ill patient has his or her own set of clinical prognosis and medical requirements that go along with them. A loved one addressing the finality of congestive heart failure will have a completely different set of medical needs from someone facing cancer, COPD or any other of the multitude of conditions that are terminal.
Each patient and their family is protected by an established set of rights including the right to know what is going on with their terminally ill loved one. Clinical prognosis can remain static for several weeks and then change rapidly. Conversely, a patient can experience varying changing in conditions which is why it is critically important for us to keep our patients and their families updated on medical conditions at all times.
Changes in medical conditions can greatly influence decisions in how palliative care is provided
The Los Angeles Hospice Package includes:
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Professional clinical healthcare
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Medication
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Medical equipment and supplies
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Case management services
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Pain control
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Symptom management
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Bereavement counseling
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Family counseling
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Spiritual support
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Ongoing condition monitoring and prompt family notification
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Personal hygiene and body care
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Quick pain medication adjustments when needed
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Nursing services for medical crisis
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Home hospice care
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Primary caregiver respite
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Nursing Home hospice care
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Warm, well-maintained, family friendly on-site in-patient quarters
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All-faith spiritual practioners on call
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Highly trained and compassionate staff
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Compassionate nurses and personal aides Highly referred with
You can always reach someone on-site or reach your scheduled nurse or other caretaker at a nursing home. Each family will be assigned a dedicated hospice care nurse who can be reached by mobile phone during his or her shift. Our exceptional staff is ready is at your disposition for the duration of your loved one’s stay or course of service with us.