We have no doubt that seniors want to live at home as long as possible. That means that when their time comes, they want to die at home as well.
Augmenting hospice care is an important part of our work at Stay at Home. We have immense respect for hospice agencies and the work they do, but hospice staff can only visit two or three times a week. And even when a patient is lucky enough to have a loved one in the home, caregiving responsibilities can overwhelm even the most loving and dedicated spouse or other family member.
Leaving aside the grief and stress a loved one necessarily feels, the dying person will often require around-the-clock care. A cancer patient, for example, may need help getting up two or three times during the night to use the bathroom, and without outside support the loved one has no chance of getting an adequate night’s sleep.
In such a case, we can provide assistance wherever it is needed. In some cases, a Stay at Home caretaker will sleep in the same room as the patient and provide help with bathroom breaks, allowing the loved one to get the rest they need. In others, the caretaker will help out during the day, giving the loved one an opportunity either to nap or to get away for a break.
And, of course, we are available to help with cooking, cleaning, and other housekeeping chores. We can help make certain medications are taken on schedule and everyone is eating regularly. And we can take the patient to medical appointments and run errands as needed.
In short, we will be there to help you however you need help.
Information for this post comes from Andy Houck, owner and administrator of Stay at Home of Loudon.