Palliative care strives to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients and their families by preventing and relieving suffering. MelodiaCare supports terminally sick individuals who cannot get care at home and require hospitalization. These patients may be admitted for end-of-life care or therapeutic trials. MelodiaCare is provided in hospices and the majority of community hospitals.

Hospice care is typically delivered as either an outpatient or an inpatient service. Your condition, prognosis, and living environment determine the ideal hospice program. Your physician will discuss whether you should receive care at home (outpatient) or be admitted to a hospital or nursing home (inpatient).

The term "inpatient" indicates that you will receive care in a hospital or nursing home instead of at home. You will get 24-hour care from hospice nurses, social workers, and other personnel trained in end-of-life care. You can get palliative pain management, comfort measures, and other treatments at the hospital. You will be accommodated with a variety of services and activities.

Positive aspects of Inpatient Hospice Care

Notably significant is ambulation for terminally ill individuals. If you reside in the hospital 24 hours a day, you will always have quick access to medical treatment. In addition, nurses and other hospice workers will provide you with physical and emotional support around the clock. This is particularly crucial for individuals who cannot speak effectively or have restricted eyesight or hearing.

If the patient's family cannot offer adequate care at home, inpatient hospice care is generally a reasonable option. The patient may require hospice inpatient care if family members cannot manage caregiving duties. In addition, some families may not be able to give care at home for mental or physical reasons.

Individuals who live alone are also suitable candidates for inpatient hospice care. It can be challenging to manage end-of-life difficulties if they live alone without emotional support. Inpatient hospice care can provide a social atmosphere in which patients can connect with other terminally ill individuals and medical staff and volunteers trained to provide emotional support.

Home Hospice versus Inpatient Hospice

Inpatient hospice care is administered in a licensed medical institution, which is the essential distinction. While your loved one is there, you can return home and tend to other family obligations. Your loved one will get therapy, dietary counseling, pain management, and other services from the medical staff at an inpatient hospice. Home hospice care entails remaining at your loved one's residence throughout their final days.

Your family member will receive pain management, therapy, and other necessary services to alleviate their suffering. As with inpatient hospice care, licensed medical experts administer home hospice care and guarantee that your loved one receives comprehensive medical care. Whether you choose hospice care in an inpatient facility or at home depends on your current needs.

Where Are Hospice Care Services Offered?

Inpatient care is administered at a facility that can provide clinical care around the clock, typically a hospital, nursing home, and hospice house.

A hospice inpatient unit has a significantly different ambiance than an acute care institution. The hospice inpatient unit is more tranquil and homelike. The staff moves leisurely, frequently pausing to converse with patients, interact with their families, and answer questions.

Family and friends of all ages are welcome day and night, and arrangements can be made for overnight visits.

The goal of intensive pain and symptom management is to stabilize the patient, so they can return home to receive ordinary hospice care.

The hospice inpatient care team:

Evaluates symptoms
Provides extensive care of symptoms
Maintains continuous care and frequent visits
Consequently, the team can manage and control the patient's symptoms in a relatively short period, typically days, and the patient can return home.

What Hospice Care Does MelodiaCare Offer?

MelodiaCare Hospice's most typical level of care is regular home hospice care, which might also be considered outpatient hospice care. Patients get this level of care at their "home," a private residence, an assisted living facility, a memory care center, or a nursing home. This is the right degree of care for a person whose health is deteriorating, who has a life-limiting prognosis, who has routine hospice needs, and whose symptoms are managed. Regular hospice nurse visits are tailored to each patient's needs. Our general nursing visit frequency for hospice care is twice per week.

Alternatively, inpatient hospice care may be more appropriate for patients who require a higher degree of care due to uncontrolled symptoms. Inpatient hospice care can only be administered in facilities staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by a registered nurse. Inpatient hospice care may be administered in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or hospice residence. If your care needs demand an inpatient level of care, we will work with you to put you or a loved one in a hospital, nursing home, or partner hospice that offers hospice home placement.

What Is Inpatient Hospice?