Six Ways Hospice Care Helps Seniors Dealing with End-stage COPD

Hospice Care in Spokane County WA Coping with end-stage COPD is difficult emotionally and physically for patients and for family members. During this tough time, hospice care offers a way for seniors with COPD to get the support that they need with medical help, hands-on help, and emotional comfort. Here are some of the ways that hospice care does this.

Managing Pain and Other Symptoms

Pain, shortness of breath, edema, and more are all a part of living with end-stage COPD. Hospice professionals have a lot of tools at their disposal to assist seniors with managing these symptoms. Because hospice is a holistic and palliative type of care, there may be more symptom management solutions available than were available before.

Offering Emotional Support

End-stage COPD is overwhelming emotionally for everyone involved. Hospice care offers compassionate emotional support, which helps patients to be able to express their fears, anxieties, and hopes. Family members are also able to receive education and emotional support to help them to be there for the people they love.

Enhancing Quality of Life

Hospice care prioritizes quality of life, which is essential for seniors with COPD. Tailored care plans help seniors to have access to the help and tools they need in order to have the best possible quality of life. This is essential when health issues are not curable and are only going to continue to progress. Patients and their families are able to focus on the here and now, caring for their family member in a compassionate way.

Creating a Comfortable Environment

Keeping seniors with end-stage COPD as comfortable as possible is a huge task and hospice care providers are able to put a lot of effort toward that goal. This could involve rearranging living spaces to make room for medical equipment or just making it easier to navigate. Choosing soothing lighting and music might also be part of keeping the environment comfortable.

Facilitating End-of-life Conversations

End-of-life conversations are never easy to have and sometimes seniors with terminal conditions aren’t excited about having those conversations. Hospice is able to bridge gaps, however, and share information with seniors and family members about what to expect and what discussions might be good to have sooner rather than later.

Helping to Coordinate Care

Because end-stage COPD is so complicated, seniors are likely to have multiple medical professionals helping them manage their care. Hospice is able to coordinate with all of these healthcare providers and ensure that there is a comprehensive care plan in place. This helps to reduce the burden on seniors and family members and helps everyone involved to focus on what is most important right now.

Hospice elder care offers a wide range of different types of help and support to seniors who are living with end-stage COPD. As health issues continue to change and evolve, hospice is able to offer continual assistance and manage care in a holistic and compassionate manner. When the time comes to make end-of-life care decisions, hospice providers can be there to offer education, support, and assistance to help make the transition meaningful and peaceful.

If you or an aging loved one is considering Hospice Care in Spokane County, WA, please contact the caring staff at Angel Senior Care today at (509) 326-4357
Vaughn & Donna Young