The transition into hospice care is a delicate time for seniors.
It’s a moment in time where seniors must change their mindsets, letting go of miracle cures and welcoming life as it is.
Switching life perspectives is never an easy feat. But for those seniors who can succeed in doing so, for those seniors who can truly internalize the benefits and beauty of hospice care- life becomes a much happier, healthier place.
As a caregiver for a hospice patient, your goal is to help your senior make that mental shift, and see the positivity in a hospice care program.
Your true task is to help your beloved senior make the most of their time.
Here are 4 steps to help your senior make an easy transition into hospice care.
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Understand the goal of hospice care.
In order to help your senior see the beauty of a hospice program, you have to understand it for yourself.
The goal of hospice care is to increase the quality of life for patients. Rather than focus on a cure, hospice care focuses on comfort, and on making the most out of the life you have.
Hospice care is there to help seniors grab life by the horns and find happiness, peace, and meaning.
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Support your senior’s spiritual and emotional needs.
For many seniors, hospice care becomes a time to take a closer look at the world around them, and connect on a deeper, more spiritual level. This often allows seniors to feel the importance of their role in the world, as well as allow them to take comfort in their past deeds.
Whether you are a believer or not, it’s important that you give your senior the support he or she needs in order to find peace. Remember, this time is for them.
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Create a realistic and meaningful bucket list.
When transitioning into hospice care, it is common for seniors to feel a sense of regret or longing. Seniors at this point in time start to question the validity and importance of their lives, trying to make sense of their past actions.
If this is the case for your senior, encourage them to start a bucket list.
Although it may sound cliché, bucket lists are a wonderful way to help seniors find meaning in life and purpose. A realistic bucket list is able to pull seniors’ attentions away from the past and future, and help them focus on the present- so they can find meaning in the here and now.
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Leave the hard work to Aurora Hospice.
During this important time, you want to be able to spend as much time as possible with your senior. Of all the ways in which you can help your senior transition into hospice care, spending quality family time with your senior is by far the most important.
Don’t let the technical stuff get in the way. Instead, hire a hospice care agency to tend to your senior’s medical needs and comfort.
An agency like Aurora Hospice will take care of all your senior’s critical health needs, so you can focus on what’s truly important- quality of life.
