Providing end-of-life care is a privilege … and a great responsibility. The best care comes from a team of qualified providers working in tandem with both the patient and their family.
Too often, one critical component of the end-of-life care team is missing. Since hospice is meant, specifically, for patients diagnosed with short life expectancies, many people associate it with death and dying. Sadly, this association leads many families to avoid hospice care out of a belief that the medications used to lessen symptoms and provide pain management also serve to hasten death.
The truth is just the opposite: hospice can actually help patients live longer. Several published studies show that people on hospice live an average of 29 to 44 days longer than those who are not on hospice. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that, “With earlier referral to a hospice program, patients may receive care that results in better management of symptoms, leading to stabilization of their condition and prolonged survival.”
Assisted living communities and personal care home health companies can better help those they serve by partnering with hospice providers to provide early referrals. A partnership with hospice is a benefit to everyone involved: patients and their families receive the gift of time — more time to connect with family, more time to celebrate life and more time to find closure. Assisted living communities and personal home health companies benefit in the following ways:
Assisted Living Communities
Monetarily speaking, assisted living communities continue to operate by means of the monthly payments made by those living in their community. When assisted living communities give the gift of hospice to their residents, they allow patients to age in place and remain in their units. Patients on hospice are also more likely to remain in the community during a health crisis, as opposed to being admitted to the hospital.
Everyone benefits when residents remain in the assisted living community: the community has a more stable revenue base to continue operations, and patients are given the opportunity to stay in a familiar and comforting environment.
Personal Care Home Health Companies
Personal care home health companies, just like all service providers, depend on billable hours. When personal care providers give the gift of hospice to those they serve, it’s a win-win situation: the patient gets to remain in the comfort of their own home, and the personal care home health provider gets to continue serving that patient, leading to billable hours. Even in times of a health crisis, patients on hospice can often remain in their home, rather than being admitted to a hospital or rehab facility.
Aspire Home Health and Hospice is one of the top hospice companies in Utah. We are dedicated to providing comfort to patients and helping families during difficult times. If you are interested in forming a mutually beneficial partnership, or if you would like to recommend a partnership for the benefit someone you love, we’d love to speak with you. Please contact us today.
