You’ve probably heard the old saying, “The best time to start is yesterday; the next-best time to start is now.” It’s true of many things, even end-of-life care for someone important to you.
It can be difficult to decide when it’s the right time to reach out to Centrica Care Navigators to help you and your family — in part, because learning about hospice means someone close to you is dying, and that’s probably not something you want to think about.
If you contact our experienced team, though, you’ll get support from the very start.
The right time for care is before you think you’ll need it. The families of some patients reach out to us after the first fall at home, after the first doctor’s visit where end-of-life care is suggested.
Other times, a person’s illness happens so suddenly that there’s almost no time to bring that person into hospice care; we have had patients who have only been visited by our care professionals once — they died within a week, or even the same day.
Getting started with end-of-life care requires nothing more than a single phone call. You can learn about many of our services here on our website. But the Centrica Care Navigators team will have the most impact on you and your loved one by talking with you in person.
Your admissions nurse will need to collect basic information, like how the patient’s health is at the moment and what their symptoms appear to be. More importantly, though, the nurse is there to answer questions and help patients, caregivers, and family members feel more comfortable with the end-of-life care process.
We also have informational tools — flyers and booklets, or PDFs if you prefer to use your phone or computer. Explore our website to learn about the services we provide. When your loved one begins end-of-life care, you’ll receive a set of booklets highlighting a variety of topics, from legal requirements to what you might see as the person is dying.
For example, the Caregiver Reference includes sections on “Keeping patients comfortable at the end of life” and “Types of self-care.”
You might learn about some of these ideas while searching online — but knowing which ones may be appropriate for you and your loved one takes time, and a professional who is trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of the end of life.
The more time you and your family receive hospice care, the more specialized assistance you will have.
Keep in mind that it’s not just the patient who’s receiving care; the patient’s primary caregiver and family members can also benefit from talking with a social worker or chaplain. They’ll learn more about what can help their loved one by asking questions, our registered nurses and hospice aides will be happy to answer.
Learn more about what Centrica Care Navigators can do to support your organization on our website or call us at 269.345.0273.
