Comfort Home Care provides comprehensive end-of-life in-home care services in Montgomery and Prince George’s County, MD and Washington, D.C. Our highly qualified and compassionate in-home care professionals can help to ensure that individuals facing life-limiting illness can preserve as much comfort and self-sufficiency as possible in the setting that is most appropriate for the individual. With support from Comfort Home Care’s end-of-life care services, family members and caregivers can rest assured knowing that their loved one is receiving professional assistance with the imperative Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Completion of ADLs is an essential component of maintaining a desirable overall quality-of-life.
It is a good idea for patients and families to consider utilizing in-home care services alongside medical treatment as soon as possible so that the patients and their families may enjoy their time together feeling more comfortable.
When is End-of-life Care Needed?
In the final stages of a life-limiting disease, an individual’s care priorities may shift. Instead of solely pursuing aggressive curative treatments, a patient may begin to value the relief and management of pain and other physical symptoms, emotional stress, and having to struggle less with daily tasks. Patients who are having difficulty completing basic ADLs or, are unable to safely complete them on their own are ideal candidates for end-of-life in-home care support. In-home care may also be the best option in situations where family members and primary caregivers are unable to provide the care required.
Availability of Caregivers and Family Members
Primary caregivers can’t always be at the same location as a loved one, and sometimes the level of non-medical care they need is beyond your capabilities. The benefits of end-of-life care can relieve some of the feelings of guilt associated with not being able to give enough attention or specialized care to a loved one suffering from life-limiting illness because of issues such as physical inability, time constraints, and location. Comfort Home Care’s end-of-life care services can allow caregivers and other family members to rest assured with confidence as they know their loved one is receiving the compassionate attention and care that they need.
General Criteria for End-of-life Care
There are a broad range of things to consider when assessing an individual’s needs for end-of-life care. The only way to be sure is to have a professional in-home care evaluation conducted. Comfort Home Care provides in-home care evaluations completely free of charge. For patients and family members who are beginning to research end-of-life care, some general factors to consider when gauging a candidate’s needs for in-home care may include the following:
- The individual has done several trips to the emergency room, their condition has stabilized, but the life-limiting illness is still progressing and is negatively affecting their overall quality-of-life.
- The individual has been admitted to the hospital multiple times in the last year with the same or worsening symptoms and there are no viable treatment options available (as determined by their attending physician).
- The individual wishes to remain at in-home or in the facility that they are more comfortable with.
Our End-of-Life In-home Care Services
The central focus of our end-of-life in-home care services is to help make certain that the final months, weeks, or days that your loved one experiences are as comfortable and at peace as possible. We place a heavy emphasis on fulfilling a patient’s routine ADLs needs and other unanticipated demands with our end-of-life care service offerings.
An individual’s unique circumstances will determine the level of in-home care support that is required. No individual or family is the same and different situations will require different levels of support. Comfort Home Care can provide compassionate end-of-life in-home care support that ranges from minimal interaction to more extensive or even 24/7 total assistance and supervision.
Free Evaluation
Do you or a loved one need help maneuvering the final stages of life? Let us connect you with one of our in-home care specialists for a free consultation and evaluation.
Practical Care and ADL Assistance
Perhaps your loved one during end-of-life can no longer sit, eat, talk, walk, or understand what is going on around them. Some routine Activities of Daily Living, including bathing, feeding, toileting, dressing, and turning could require too much for one caregiver to handle and demands a lot of physical strength on the part of the willing caregiver. Comfort Home Care can maintain a realistically high quality-of-life for individuals during end-of-life by helping them live as comfortably as possible in a prefered home setting. Our in-home care professionals can support caregivers and end-of-life patients by supporting their efforts to accomplish the six major types of Activities of Daily Living outlined below:
Eating
If your loved one is taking solid food we can prepare delicious and nutritious meals, help with the act of feeding, and clean up afterwards. Ensuring proper nutritional intake can help patients to feel better physically and improve their mood.
Bathing and Personal Hygiene
Individuals who are progressing through the journey of end-of-life need extra help with personal hygiene and bathing. Our aides can assist with bathing and keeping up with regular personal hygiene such as oral care and skin care. We maintain acceptable standards of personal hygiene by tending to the daily bathing and personal hygiene needs of an individual under our care.
Dressing
Keeping a clean wardrobe and dressing/undressing may present significant challenges for individuals who are managing a life-limiting illness. We provide access to clean and organized clothes and wardrobe accessories along with assisting the individual under our care to easily dress/undress.
Grooming
An individual facing a life-limiting illness will still have routine grooming needs. Our in-home care professionals can attend to all aspects of routine grooming. Having an appearance of being well groomed can greatly bolster an individual’s moral. Our grooming assistance can include hair care, cutting and trimming nails, shaving based on one’s preferences. We provide support with these specific tasks in addition to other normal grooming requests.
Mobility
Implementing and maintaining safe mobility practices are essential to our end-of-life in-home care services. Depending on the patient’s limitations, our CNAs, GNAs and HHAs can help patients to move inside or outside of their home or facility in a safe and secure manner.
Toileting/Continence
Toileting and Continence needs are a sensitive topic for patients. Our experienced CNAs, GNAs and HHAs are able to assist with toileting needs and approach the situation in a calm and tactful manner. We also provide continence care which may require the emptying of catheter drainage bags and changing of Depends.
Benefits of End-of-life In-Home Care for Patients
Incorporating the usefulness of non-medical end-of-life caregiving alongside physician recommended treatments can help to help the patient to achieve their quality of life goals. Facing the realities of a life-limiting illness is difficult enough without feeling frustrated or disheartened by ADLs. ADLs support from our in-home care professionals makes daily life easier for patients while offering valuable social stimulation. Comfort Home Care’s end-of-life care allows the patient to focus on enjoying their remaining time living peacefully and comfortably.
Benefits of End-of-life In-Home Care for Caregivers
Comfort Home Care focuses on supporting and assisting primary caregivers as well as patients. Satisfying the entire range of daily needs of a loved one can be both taxing and worrisome for any caregiver. Our non-medical end-of-life care services work to alleviate much of the anxiety and stress that are come along with full or part-time caregiving. ADLs support and encouragement from our compassionate team members can help family caregivers to free up time for life’s other important responsibilities apart from caregiving. Comfort Home Care diligently focus on making life simpler and more manageable for primary caregivers.
Respite Care
Although it is commonly overlooked, caregivers have limitations. A caregiver may need to go to work, go out for a few hours, or might need an opportunity to rest and recharge from the intense end-of-life ordeal. 24/7 in-home care and supervision can provide a vital period of respite for primary caregivers.
Why You Should Choose Our End-of-life Care Services
Do you or your loved one need end-of-life care support? Since 1999 Comfort Home Care provides Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), Geriatric Nursing Assistants (GNAs) and Home Health Aides (HHAs), licensed and proficient at offering the best in-home care services for individuals and their caregivers in Montgomery and Prince George’s County, MD and Washington, D.C. Our aides are sincere heartfelt individuals who come highly skilled and certified in assisting with the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Additionally, our personnel undergo a thorough screening process before they are hired. Our screening process includes:
- Evaluative in-person interview(s)
- Required health screenings
- Nationwide criminal background check
- Comprehensive review of personal references
- Assessment of both written and oral communication skills
Our People Centered Care Philosophy
Our philosophy of People Centered Care revolves acknowledges clients and caregivers as equal partners in developing a plan and continually assessing care to make sure it is consistently satisfying each care requirement. We take into consideration the client’s various preferences – allowing us to match our clients with an experienced caregiver that is an ideal fit.
Getting Started With Comfort Home Care
Comfort Home Care serves patients and families in Montgomery and Prince George’s County, MD and Washington, D.C. and offers complimentary evaluations to help individuals and families understand how they can be supported with care services. The steps in our evaluation process are listed below.
We begin our complimentary evaluation with one of our Registered Nurses (RN) and our Director of Nursing, Director of Care, and our Company Representative in order to evaluate each care requirement and to understand the client’s goals for care. After completing of the evaluation, our RN will develop a personalized care plan that caters to satisfying the range of an individual’s needs.
Next, we take great care in matching the care provider to your loved one’s needs and personality. The care provider seeks to develop a friendly therapeutic bond with the client which ensures they are comfortable, happy, and safe in their setting.
Request a Free In-Home Care Evaluation Today!
If you or a loved one is managing a life-limiting illness during end-of-life, Comfort Home Care can help. For more information on the positive impacts of our end-of-life care services – call or contact us online today to discuss your needs and setting up a free consultation.