Hospice Care Plans
What is a hospice care plan?
Planning for the end of your life is never easy, however it’s important to have an effective care plan in place so that you and your loved ones can be confident that you’ll remain comfortable and pain-free. If you’ve been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition then you have options for how your care will progress, however by having your hospice care delivered at home by Helping Hands’ compassionate and dedicated carers, you’ll get to remain in the place you love most while having the support to receive all the therapies and treatments you wish.
Having hospice care at home needn’t mean you’re at the very end of your life either, as you may require help to get to your appointments and the make the most of your local area while you’re still active. Hospice care, palliative care and other complex care plans are managed by our own team of clinical nurses at Helping Hands, ensuring you get support from the highest trained carers and people who are going to help you through those difficult days.
Why is it important to have a hospice care plan?
Hospice care plans mean that as those difficult days approach, both you and your loved ones know that everything is in place and can focus on spending time together. It’s important to have a hospice care plan in place because you will need to know that your wishes are being carried out as your care progresses. We believe in holistic care at Helping Hands, which means we support the ‘whole person’ and make sure you are always emotionally, spiritually, and physically cared for.
Do I need a care plan?
It’s important to have a care plan in place because as your condition progresses your wider healthcare team will be liaising together to keep you supported and happy. Without a care plan it would be more difficult to keep your care consistent and to make sure that your wishes and preferences are always respected, especially as you approach the end of your life.
What should an effective care plan include?
An effective hospice care plan would contain all the information that your wider healthcare team have put in place for your effective care and support. This doesn’t just include practical care needs it also covers how you like to spend your free time and how your carers can support you to enjoy your life still and what memories you would like to make. This could include visiting local landmarks, spending time with loved ones, or going on holiday. It will especially include:
Personal details
Your name and address will be listed here, along with next of kin, and wider healthcare team details. If you have a Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR/DNAR) or a Power of Attorney (POA) they would also be included.
All about me
Your holistic needs will be included, including your spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. If you have a clear idea of how you would like your end of life to progress then it could be stated too.
Nutrition/hydration
This could be favourite foods at first but may also contain details of how your feeding arrangements will change as your condition deteriorates, such as needing a feeding tube or other medical intervention.
Personal care & mobility
Personal care includes toileting, showering/bathing needs and whether you use a catheter. Mobility requirements could be whether you use a wheelchair, or need to be hoisted.
How I can create my own care plan
Your needs and wishes will form the core of your hospice care plan and you will be supported to add whatever detail you want to it. It’s important that you ensure essential details go into your care plan as it will mean that your caregivers will know how you wish to be supported, even if you’re no longer able to communicate with them. We have our own team of clinical nurses at Helping Hands who will ensure your carers have all the knowledge and skills they’ll need to keep you as comfortable, independent, and happy as possible, surrounded by memories and people who mean the world to you.
How Helping Hands can help
Our carers take looking after other people incredibly seriously, however that doesn’t mean they don’t help people to see the lighter side of life too. When you’re approaching the end of your life you’ll want to spend your final days in the way that matters to you, whether that’s with your family and friends around you, or watching the sun set over your favourite ocean. The memories you make once you’ve been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition are personal to you, and Helping Hands can help you to realise them. Our clinical carers are managed by our own team of nurses who are all experienced in the NHS and private healthcare, and they give their carers additional instruction that is tailored to our individual customers.
Fully regulated by the CQC / CIW
We offer our customers bespoke, personalised care on both a visiting and live-in basis that is fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW). Unlike some other care companies who aren’t regulated, everything we do is monitored for consistent high standards, so you can be sure that the care you receive from us will always be of exceptional quality.