Understanding Hospice and Palliative Care for Veterans

Veterans

All patients requiring hospice care should always be treated with utmost concern by nurses, therapists, and other licensed care providers, regardless of their upbringing or background. When it comes to looking after men and women who were known for serving the country throughout their lives, they even deserve special treatment due to their service!

If you have a veteran loved one that requires elderly care, it’s essential to be familiar with hospice and palliative care that the VA provides to cater to their needs. Giving your aging parents or grandparents the assistance they require helps them look forward to experiencing a healthy and comfortable life.

Keep reading below to find out more about VA hospice care and VA palliative care for your loved ones, including what benefits they can present for your family.

What Is Hospice Care?

Hospice care is a solution that offers extensive care services for your loved ones as they live their final years on earth. It revolves around the assistance of a small team that can provide high-quality medical care focused on home health, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support.

The care you can expect your loved one to receive is personalized according to their wants and needs to give them a more comfortable and easier time living their remaining days. It’s one way of granting your parents’ or grandparents’ wishes to spend the rest of their life without worrying too much about discomfort and pain!

What Are the Benefits of VA Hospice Care?

One essential advantage of becoming a veteran is receiving hospice care, usually when they are at the final stages of their life. Acquiring hospice care at home through the VA and any of the agencies they work with allows your loved one to receive a standard medical benefits plan.

A veteran can be eligible for hospice care if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness and have treatment goals centered around providing comfort instead of cure. Moreover, if your loved one has a life expectancy of about six months or shorter according to a VA physician, they are qualified to receive hospice care.

What Is Palliative Care?

Palliative care works to enhance the quality of life of a patient. What’s nice about it is it doesn’t require your loved one to be in their last few remaining years before acquiring proper assistance. When your parents or grandparents visit a doctor and become diagnosed with a severe illness, they can immediately seek palliative care.

Even though the treatment for their condition is still ongoing, they can already look forward to receiving palliative care for their situation. That way, they are inspired to get better and overcome their disease without having a difficult time! 

What Are the Benefits of Palliative Care?

Seeking VA palliative care will involve a copay as part of the requirements. The services your loved one can expect to receive are comfort care consultations and follow-up visits initiated by a team of healthcare providers.

Also, you can look forward to receiving the necessary support when you have to make a big decision as well as guidance on figuring out what to do to achieve the care your loved one needs. Not only do your sick parents or grandparents get to consult with a primary care physician, but they can gain recommendations on other ways to help them get through their illness.

Conclusion

If you need help deciding whether you wish to get VA hospice care or palliative care for your loved one, you may utilize a Veteran Decision Aid for Care at Home or Community for sound advice. That way, you can better decide if your veteran loved one requires home care services and long-term care to address their needs. Looking into a Caregiver Self-Assessment can also help you hire the right caregiver to provide the necessary short-term support for your family.

Are you looking for the best hospice care company in California for your loved one? Bridge Home Health & Hospice offers home-based patient care solutions with the guidance of well-trained clinicians and therapists. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services!

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