Last Updated on June 19, 2024 by Frank Davis
In accordance with the CDC’s data, more than 80 percent of the deaths attributed to COVID-19 occur among adults over 65 years of age. It is therefore vital that older adults take a proactive approach, including maintaining good hand hygiene, being at home, and making sure they maintain proper distance from others.
We will discuss in this article how we protect ourselves from the Covid-19 virus as well as the type of services we offer.
Covid employee training and safety equipment
We have trained and prepared all of our hospice-eligible team members to ensure that they are able to support patients who have COVID-19 and who meet hospice-eligibility requirements. When evaluating hospice-eligible patients with COVID-19, the hospice program will take into account whether the equipment required to ensure staff, patient and family safety can be acquired.
The following items are used for the safety of Covid-19:
- N-95 Mask
- Face Shield
- Gown
- Gloves
Less Hospitalization
A key advantage of hospice and palliative care during times of crisis such as COVID-19 is that your chances of hospitalization are greatly reduced. If the patient experiences an emergency hospitalization for a reason not related to their hospice diagnosis, the patient’s length of stay in the hospital can be greatly reduced because hospice staff are always on hand to provide care at home.
We, at Hospice Valley, offer our patients welcoming and comfortable care at home, thus avoiding the need for them to be admitted into overcrowded hospitals. It is extremely common to find more and more patients and their families contacting us directly for assistance every day, as they are unwilling to go to an overcrowded hospital to receive treatment because of the high chance of contracting Covid.
Hospice Services
In some instances, a patient may find that it isn’t possible to cure a serious illness, or certain treatments may not be appropriate for them. These are situations where hospice care may be appropriate. As part of the eligibility procedures for hospice care, a patient must acknowledge that all efforts in order to treat his or her illness or slow down the progression of the disease have been unsuccessful.
In hospice care, the patient as well as their families receive comprehensive comfort care. However, hospice does not attempt to cure the patient’s illness. Applicants for this program must be living with a terminal illness and have been told by their doctor that they may have six months or less to live if the disease runs its course.
Listed below are a few of the services that hospice care has to offer:
- Physician Services
- Nursing Services
- Home health aides
- Spiritual Counselors
- Social Workers
- Pharmacists
- Volunteers
- Bereavement Counselors
Conclusion
Hospice care is the result of an integrated strategy that allows patients to receive comfort while they are still able to enjoy the last stages of their lives. As a result, the discomfort, pain, nausea, and other side effects will be managed to the extent that you will feel as good as possible, yet you will be cognizant enough to interact with those around you and make important decisions.
If you would like to know more about Covid-19 or hospice, please call Hospice Valley of Los Angeles at (747) 755-5181.
