The Role of Hospice at Home: promoting a better dying and death experience
Hospice at Home enables people with diseases like cancer, dementia, motor neurone disease, advanced respiratory disease, end stage heart failure and end stage kidney disease to receive expert nursing care and support in their own homes in their final days. Supporting a patient’s wish to live out their final days at home has a multitude of benefits for the patient and their loved ones, making it a vital option for end of life care.
Hospice care is a philosophy of care that focuses on enhancing the quality of life for individuals facing a life limiting or terminal illness. By providing symptom management and addressing emotional, physical and spiritual needs, Hospice Isle of Man aims to provide comfort and support during palliative and end of life care. Hospice at Home brings this care model directly to the patient during their final days, delivering expert nursing care and support to patients in the familiar setting of their own home (which also includes residential or nursing homes, or a hospital setting). This allows individuals to spend their final days surrounded by loved ones in a place where they feel most at ease, ultimately improving their overall quality of life and providing a more peaceful end of life experience.
Hospice at Home epitomises the patient-centric approach of hospice care, supporting individualised care plans tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each patient. This ensures that the patient receives the best possible care in a way that aligns with their values and wishes. Helping to preserve patient dignity and autonomy.
Hospice at Home also provides reassurance and support for families and loved ones caring for someone at home in the last 2-3 weeks of life. Caregivers often experience significant stress and burnout when caring for a loved one with a terminal illness. Hospice at Home provides trained professionals to assist with medical care, emotional support, and practical tasks, relieving some of the burden on family members. Direct care is only part of the support given to patients and their carers. Delivering equipment, liaising with district nurses and GP’s, collecting vital medication and telephone advice is also an extremely important part of the role of the team.
Receiving Hospice at Home Support: Isle of Man
The team, comprising of Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants, work 24/7, 365 days a year and they remain the only palliative care nursing team available to deliver care to dying patients out of hours i.e. after 5pm and before 9am in the community. Although based at Hospice Isle of Man Headquarters in Douglas, they travel many miles each day delivering care to all parts of the island including residential and care homes as well as offering advice to Hospice Isle of Man’s partners in Manx Care. The team's availability offers peace of mind to families, enabling them to focus on spending quality time with their loved one while knowing that expert care is readily accessible.
When a patient enters the terminal phase of care, the last few weeks or so of life, the Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist team will refer to the Hospice at Home team. From here the team will conduct a thorough evaluation of the patient and their needs to determine if they are able to carry out the patients wishes for their preferred place of care (PPC) and preferred place of death (PPD). While many patients may initially express a desire to receive hospice care at home, their needs and preferences may change as their condition progresses. The Hospice at Home team are there to facilitate open and honest conversations about end of life care preferences. This includes discussing the possibility of a change in the preferred place of care or death as the patient's condition evolves.
Hospice at Home support is designed to supplement the care provided by family members, not replace it. The Hospice at Home team works closely with the family to develop a comprehensive care plan and this collaborative approach ensures that the patient's wishes are respected and their desire to be surrounded by loved ones in a comforting setting is not compromised.
Hospice Isle of Man believe that everyone has the right to the best care at the end of life. Education and working in partnership with others to deliver hospice influenced care is a key component of the work undertaken by the Hospice at Home team. The team significantly impact end of life care in the community by providing education and support to care home staff. This can include training on symptom management, pain control, and communication strategies that prioritise the resident's comfort and dignity. By sharing their expertise, the Hospice at Home team empowers care home staff to provide a more holistic and compassionate approach to end of life care, ensuring residents receive the best possible support in their final days.
