Hospice for Dementia: Information for Healthcare Professionals
Hospice care for late-stage dementia patients can help families with this stressful and confusing illness. While it can often be difficult for both family caregivers and healthcare professionals to know when to call hospice for dementia, Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care’s program can make that decision easier. We help manage the patient’s symptoms, provide comfort, and help you to support your patient and their family during the time they have left.
How can hospice help your patient with dementia?
Our late-stage dementia hospice program takes an individual interdisciplinary plan to help meet the unique needs of your patient. Additionally, for patients who are already in an assisted living facility or memory care unit, Crossroads can provide an extra layer of one-on-one care and support. Dementia hospice services include:
- Collaboration between our team and the patient’s primary physician as needed
- Interdisciplinary team support treating physical, emotional, and spiritual needs
- Attentive symptom management, including pain and anxiety management
- Medication and medical supplies delivered to patient’s home, including hospital bed, incontinence products, and wheelchairs, all at no cost to the family
- Three shifts of full-time Crossroads staff to help meet patient’s emerging needs up to and during the time of death
- Personal care to help in maintaining the patient’s dignity at end-of-life
- Grief support offered by trained professionals
Hospice assists healthcare professionals to provide comfort to dementia patients.
Healthcare professionals who choose Crossroads have the option to either partner with us to provide care to the patient, or Crossroads can take the lead. The latter choice enables you to provide care to other patients, knowing that this particular patient is in good hands. We will take the time to keep you informed of the patient’s condition.
Hospice does not mean giving up on your patient.
While this misconception is prevalent, we must stress that choosing hospice for your patient does not mean giving up. In fact, after healthcare professionals learn more about dementia hospice and how it helps the patient, many wish they had contacted Crossroads sooner. Dementia hospice helps by managing the patient’s symptoms, and provides more visits to the patient during their final days.
When to call hospice for dementia?
Even for healthcare professionals, it can be difficult to determine when to call hospice for dementia patients. In order to be eligible for hospice, a patient must have a life expectancy of six months or less, assuming the disease runs its normal course.
If you have questions when trying to determine if a dementia patient is appropriate for hospice, we recommend contacting us to discuss. Experts are available 24/7 to help answer any questions you may have. You can also fill out a referral form now, or schedule a meeting with us to discuss our processes and approaches.