Chicagoland Hospice Nursing Aide
Hospice aides can provide intermittent care under the direction of a registered nurse. Service include assistance with the activities of daily living such as bathing, hair and mouth care, light house-keeping in the patient area and linen changes. Hospice aide services are based on need and outlined in the plan of care. The hospice aide is not a sitter to stay around the clock. Your nurse can discuss such needs with you.
All services will be explained and offered as appropriate. Frequency will be adjusted by the team based on patient needs. If you have a question about when or why any service provider is scheduled, please ask the nurse or call the office.
Receiving compassionate, high-quality treatment at the end of life, whether at home or in a facility, is a basic human right and part of human dignity that we all deserve. Every year, hospice physicians, nurses, chaplains, and volunteers provide treatment to 1.65 million Americans and their families, and the number is growing. In the greater Chicago area and suburbs, Oasis Hospice and Palliative Care offers compassionate and thoughtful hospice care in several counties. We treat our patients’ and families’ religion, integrity, freedom, and individuality with the utmost respect, and we strive to make their final days as comfortable and meaningful as possible. Both good times and bad.®
Our Hospice and Health Aides
Working in the hospice area can be difficult, but the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. Hakeem Bello, of Oasis Hospice of Chicagoland, says it takes a rare, solid, and caring person to be able to care for someone in their final months, weeks, and days of life.
Mr. Bello said, “Making patients happy and forming friendships with them is definitely my favorite part of the work.”
Here’s a peak into a typical hospice aide’s day. It starts with her memory care patients. A hospice aide helps to bathe and dress them, feed them, change their bedding, and prepare them for the day ahead. The caregiver must also inform the nurses of the patient status for the day. Typically an aide spends about 45 minutes to an hour with each patient every day on average.
The work of an aide comes from the bottom of one’s heart and some days are simple, while others are challenging.
A hospice aide’s responsibilities for home include
- communicating and monitoring medical changes
- Wound treatment
- Taking a bath and dressing
- Hair, skin, dental, and nail care are all examples of personal care.
- Assisting in toileting and incontinence management
- Preparation of light meals and light housekeeping
- responsibilities for maintaining a safe and comfortable atmosphere
- Spending time with patients and connecting with family members
Types of Hospice Care & Support
General Inpatient Care
Some people may need general inpatient treatment, which would necessitate intensive symptom management. In that situation, the care team works with and patient and their families to monitor the symptoms and provide security, dignity, and peace. Once under power, patients are discharged to their homes and returned to their usual standard of treatment.
Respite Care
Others can seek respite care if a caregiver has to travel or take a break. The patient is allowed to stay for up to five days before returning home. We take a holistic approach in all situations, focusing on the mind, body, and spirit.
Routine Care
The majority of patients fall into routine treatment, which allows them to remain in their homes while their symptoms are easily and safely treated.
Continuous Hospice Care
During a crisis, when symptoms require more intensive, urgent symptom treatment, the patient receives one-on-one consistent care in the comfort of their own home.
Palliative Care
A serious illness may have a negative impact on your quality of life as well as your family. Palliative care is a form of patient-centered medical care that addresses the symptoms and stress of a severe illness. A network of professionals, including board-certified palliative care physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, and chaplains, deliver comprehensive care in collaboration with the healthcare team to provide an additional layer of support. It is suitable for people of all ages and stages of serious illness. It is provided in conjunction with other forms of care. We’re committed to being there for you when you’re in need.
Palliative Care Benefits
Doctors will treat chronically ill patients for as long as possible in the hopes of curing them. Along with curative treatment, these patients may receive medical care for their symptoms, also known as palliative care.
Anyone dealing with a severe illness, such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other conditions, will benefit from palliative care. Palliative care may be beneficial at any level of illness, but it is best started as soon as a diagnosis is made.
Palliative care may help patients understand their medical treatment options, in addition to improving their quality of life and alleviating symptoms. Palliative care’s structured programs can be beneficial to any older person who is experiencing a lot of general pain and impairment late in life. Palliative care is not dependent on the prognosis and can be provided alongside curative treatment.
Palliative Care Team – Hospice Responsibilities:
- Describes the recovery targets for individuals and families.
- Pressure, shortness of breath, exhaustion, constipation, nausea, lack of appetite, numbness, sleep, and other symptoms are all managed.
- Creates current and future care plans, coordinating treatments for all of the healthcare providers.
- Provides and encourages in-depth contact between you and your family about your goals, concerns, and care options by making medical options and knowledge understandable.
- Efforts to increase one’s quality of life
- Provides you and your family with holistic treatment, including mental, practical, and spiritual support.
- Prepares advanced instructions to accompany patients outside of the hospital when necessary.
Early Patient Palliative Care
Palliative care should be provided along with the other forms of treatment for your disease. Indeed, several studies have shown that palliative care can help people live longer. Palliative care and AMITA Health Home Care may be mixed. Your quality of life is affected by pain and other symptoms, and depression can have a significant effect on your family. The palliative care team at AMITA Health will assist you with:
- Diagnosis of advanced illness, organ failure, or cancer
- Symptoms that are difficult to handle, probably as a result of treatment
- Medical decision-making is difficult.
- Treatment targets that are in line with a person’s life stage or diagnosis
- Re-hospitalizations on a regular basis
Today, ask your doctor for a referral. Palliative care is covered by most insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.