Fall Prevention Checklist from True Care Hospice

Whether you’re caring for a loved one, or you want to maintain greater independence in your home, you want to do everything you can to help minimize falls and accidents in and around the home. This fall prevention checklist from True Care hospice will help you do just that.

The sad and unfortunate truth is that as you get older, falls can become a lot more dangerous. It’s not just bumps and bruises, but broken bones and dislocated joints. It’s always said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and nowhere is that truer than when it comes to slips and falls!

Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself or your loved one:

Store flashlights in places where they can easily be found

There’s nothing worse than having a sudden power outage and having to go foraging through the house looking for flashlights. Instead, store flashlights where they can easily be found at a moment’s notice, or better yet, keep one in every room just in case!

Place night lights in your bedroom and in common areas (bathroom, kitchen, hallways)

Simple night lights that turn on when it gets dark can provide a bit of illumination to help you find your way. They’re particularly useful in the kitchen, bathroom and in hallways to make sure you don’t stumble or trip and fall.

Swap out light switches for glow in the dark or illuminated switches

When you’re feeling around in the dark, it can be easy to miss a step or trip. To help prevent this, swap out your old light switches for light switches that are illuminated or glow in the dark. This makes it easy to find them without risking losing your balance.

Turn on lights before going upstairs or downstairs

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you «know» your home, and don’t need to turn on the lights when going up or down stairs, but one missed step can lead to a painful fall which could have been avoided by just turning the lights on. It’s a small step that can make a big difference!

Place lamps in easy access areas outside of your regular living space

Having lamps in areas that are easy to access outside of the normal «paths» you take throughout your home can make it easy to light up darker areas when the power goes out or it gets dark. An easily accessible source of light can help you navigate areas that can become hazardous in the dark.

Keep medications out of reach of children or pets

Little hands and paws may try to climb and grab at things in the dark, be sure to keep medications stored in a safe place away from curious eyes and noses!

Remove clutter and make sure that pathways are clear of debris

Even everyday clutter like extension cords can become a tripping hazard when the lights go out. Make sure that pathways are clean and clear to avoid this.

Invest in assistive devices to help around the home

They don’t have to be costly overhauls, but rather simple things like no slip floor mats for the kitchen and bathroom, and shower bars for greater stability in the bathtub.

Wear comfortable, properly-fitting shoes

Shoes that are too large or too wide for your feet can cause you to trip and fall. Our feet change over time, so it’s a good idea to get fitted for a proper pair of shoes that are comfortable and form-fitting according to your foot size.

Avoid baggy or slouchy clothing

It might be comfortable, but baggy, slouchy clothing can also present a tripping and falling hazard.

Falls in and around the home can happen even if you follow these precautions, but you can minimize the dangers just by following some common-sense steps to help reduce the risks and continue living independently and enjoying greater freedom at home.

If you need help caring for a loved one, contact the friendly, helpful professionals at True Care Hospice today.

Living Spirituality in Hospice Care

People never really know when they’re going to die. But as a hospice nurse, I’ve seen the signs when someone is close to death. The gentleman I cared for had arrived at that point and I knew it wouldn’t be much longer. His family was there and soft music echoed through the room. I gently held his hand and prayed with him. From time to time, I combed his hair and straightened his sheets.

Meanwhile, his wife, beautifully stressed, was sitting across the room with a stoic expression on her face. She hadn’t touched him in the forty-five minutes I was there, but I could tell how much she deeply loved him. She had told me stories of their children and grandchildren and the deep love they had for each other. Her eyes would light up when she spoke of him and of their life together.

But nothing can truly prepare you for that moment. She’d ask me, “What do I do? I haven’t done this before.” And I would simply respond, “Whatever you feel like you need to do. There are no right answers.” The family would talk among each other but even when she was conversing, her gaze never left him.

The chaplain knocked gently on the door and entered, as I faded into the background of the room. I wanted him to have the full attention of the room and this is where a life-changing experience would begin for me.

The chaplain began to pray with the family, and one could feel the serene peace of the entire room. After praying, he started to sing “How Great Thou Art”. The love you could feel in that room was overwhelming. There’s no doubt in my mind that God was present at that moment. The tears were flowing and his wife, tissue in hand, started to move cautiously toward the hospital bed.

She made herself a little space to sit next to him. She held one of his hands and brushed his hair back with the other hand. I felt so much emotion and choked back tears. His breath slowed down and hers quickened. The music faded out and it became silent. That was his last breath — as if he had been waiting patiently for her before he passed.

That happened several months ago, but I still think of it as if it were yesterday. No one defines what makes a “beautiful memory” but I feel that this was one. It has depth, breadth and sorrow and compassion — these are the moments that make what I do so important to me.

Chemo and Dehydration

Eating and drinking during chemotherapy is an important part of staying healthy. However, some drugs cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can make it hard to keep food and fluids down. In other cases, drugs can cause mouth sores or changes in taste, along with dry mouth and other problems that make it hard to swallow and enjoy a meal.

We all know that chemotherapy is an aggressive treatment for cancer and can help extend the lives of many cancer patients. But what many people don’t know is that this treatment can also lead to dehydration. In addition to making you feel weak, tired, and nauseous, chemotherapy can also cause you to lose a lot of fluids as you sweat, vomit, and have diarrhea.

For that reason, it’s important that you stay hydrated throughout your chemotherapy treatment. At the same time, you don’t want to exacerbate more vomiting and diarrhea from your body’s reaction to the chemo.

So what can be done to help with the inevitable dehydration that comes along with chemotherapy?

Staying Hydrated Throughout Chemotherapy

Dehydration is common during chemotherapy treatments, and even when it’s mild it can cause discomfort, lead to fatigue and weakness, and make you more susceptible to infections. Dehydration is often accompanied by the buildup of lactic acid in your blood, which can also cause muscle aches and cramps.

At True Care Hospice, our home healthcare specialists and care team work with you or your family to help your body get the necessary fluids without causing greater strain on your body with regards to how it’s handling chemotherapy. You may not feel like doing much or even moving, which is where IV fluids can help.

Not only can they help you avoid dehydration, but they can also flush out the lactic acid build-up in your muscles that are causing them to ache. The more hydrated you are, the less you’ll feel these effects. Also, IV fluids won’t upset your stomach or bowels. This means you get the hydration you need without more waves of nausea or diarrhea affecting your quality of life.

With an IV hookup, you or your loved one can continue to rest or interact with family members as they feel comfortable enough to do so. We strive to make every patient feel fully cared for by our team of dedicated, compassionate health professionals, and since the body needs to be hydrated in order to help it through the chemotherapy process, an IV solution of water and electrolytes (to help the body hydrate faster) is given to patients.

Plus, our knowledgeable medical team can help monitor you or your family member’s health by visiting them in their home and making sure that they are as comfortable as possible throughout the process.

How Can True Care Hospice Help?

Providing compassionate care to patients with a life-limiting illness is a noble calling, but the challenges can be daunting. In order to ensure that your loved one get the most out of their final months, you’ll need to have a team of hospice care professionals who can be counted on for their skills and expertise.

At True Care Hospice, we pride ourselves on delivering comprehensive hospice care services and comfort to every patient and their family. Our hospice care services are handled by a team of professionals and volunteers who help the patient live as well as they can. Our hospice nurses are specially trained in the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of terminal patients, and they usually see the patients at least once a day. The other members of the team include social workers, caregivers, and chaplains.

To learn more about our professional medical services for cancer patients, including helping with chemotherapy and dehydration, contact True Care Hospice today. We’ll take the time to answer any questions you have as well as help create a plan for you or your loved one that can help you get the most out of our services at any stage of life.

One Daughter’s Experience with Hospice

You know that hospice for the care of elderly or terminally ill patients can be like a warm blanket — soothing, comforting and familiar. But what is the process like for those closest to the patients, like a son or a daughter? We spoke with one young lady who was only 15 years old when her father was diagnosed with colon cancer.

The first operation to remove the cancerous tumor was a success, but when it reappeared and he started chemotherapy, doctors gave him a year to live. As his teenage daughter was looking forward to things like prom and graduation and getting her driver’s license, she had no idea how upside-down her life was about to turn.

The Cancer Starts to Spread…

The first two years were uneventful, but by the third year, things started to slow down. Her father, who had worked as a general contractor, had continued his work for those first two years as if nothing had changed. The third year he looked a little more gaunt, his hair thinner and his energy lower. He started working from home more instead of being out in the field. Meanwhile, doctors were saying he didn’t have much time left.

The daughter chose not to believe these “diagnoses” because originally they had given him one year and here he was, three years later, still fighting and still enjoying a good quality of life. As his daughter started college, doctors said the cancer had spread throughout his body and was now at stage 4.

In his fifth year, her father decided to stop chemotherapy. He wasn’t improving, so there was no sense in staying on it. It also made him feel so sick and frail, it was understandably hard for her to watch. She spent more time away from home and tending to college responsibilities, including studying. That’s when the term “hospice” was thrown out.

Introducing Hospice

The daughter originally thought that hospice was simply a place where you went to die. That you were, in a sense, giving up. It was devastating. But through True Care, she was introduced to her case manager, a lady who was kind, understanding and very helpful in terms of sharing information and how hospice was going to help her father as well as his family.

Building trust and mutual understanding is just one of the many tasks that our case managers have, and it’s a job that they take very seriously. She learned that there would be a full professional team that was dedicated to her father’s specific needs: medical professionals, counselors, social workers and more all specializing in not just medical support, but emotional and spiritual support as well.

The difference in how her father looked and reacted was almost immediate. He was more relaxed, he laughed, and had great conversations with his daughter and family. In short, he was himself again, for however much time he had left. He had dignity. He had comfort. He had control. And perhaps most meaningful to everyone, he passed with a smile on his face while at home.

Comfort and Dignity

As the daughter reiterated to us in our interview, hospice can be so easily misconstrued, even if you do a lot of research. It’s so much more than what it seems, because it’s not just your loved one fighting a battle alone, nor is it something that is dumped in the laps of family members to sort of deal with, having had no experience whatsoever. It’s a team effort of people who truly care about everyone’s well-being.

As a result of her experience, the daughter eventually graduated college and came to work with us at True Care Hospice, specializing in finance. It is her way of helping those that helped her during a very difficult time, and we’re very glad she’s a part of the True Care family!

If you’d like to learn more about our comprehensive hospice care services, we invite you to give us a call today or talk with one of our hospice professionals to learn more about the care we provide. We’d be delighted to answer any questions you may have.

How Long Can a Patient Be in Hospice?

For patients who have reached the final stages of their lives, whether due to terminal illness or upon the diagnosis of their doctor, hospice care can be a way to provide them with physical comfort, emotional wellness and symptom relief. Oftentimes, patients in hospice are suffering from terminal cancer, chronic lung disease, end-stage Alzheimer’s, life-threatening strokes and other terminal diagnoses.

What Happens if the Patient Improves or Goes Into Remission?

Although those in hospice have been told by a doctor that they are not likely to live longer than six months, their actual hospice stay may be shorter or longer than that period. It’s difficult to predict how much time someone has left. If their health improves, they may be released so that they can undergo more active therapies.

The same applies to those whose illnesses go into remission. They are discharged until their health situation is to the point where they may need hospice care again, should that time ever come. If someone’s condition improves to the point where their life expectancy changes, they will not be able to continue hospice care services under Medicare.

Hospice Care Can Go Where It’s Needed Most

Keep in mind that being “in hospice” doesn’t necessarily mean being in a hospice care center. Hospice care can be provided to patients in their own homes and it is handled this way whenever possible. Not only does this keep the patient in comfortable and familiar surroundings, but it also allows family members to come and go with ease.

If patient symptoms become severe, many hospice care centers also have in-patient hospital facilities and medical professionals on staff to help them. Hospice care can also be offered at nursing homes. In-patient facilities can provide a needed break for caregivers who need respite for personal or medical reasons without sacrificing the quality of care that their loved one receives.

The True Care Difference

At True Care, we know that delivering the best hospice care isn’t just limited to medical care. Our hospice team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and should an emergency arise, we’re there within minutes. Whether your loved one simply needs help to assist with daily living activities like feeding or bathing, or they need support around the clock, we’re here for you every step of the way.

But taking care of your loved one isn’t our only priority. We also help families who may have questions as they maneuver through the grief process. We have grief and bereavement counseling services available, as well as chaplains and other religious professionals to help put the mind at ease and soothe the soul. We aim to support every facet of need at every stage of end-of-life care

Contact us today to learn more about our dedicated hospice care services or to ask any questions you may have about end of life care at our facilities. We’ll take the time to answer your questions and provide your loved one with the very pinnacle of care, because we aim to treat your family like we treat our own families — with care, dignity and respect every step of the way.

How Does Palliative Care Work for Patients with Leukemia and Lymphoma?

Both leukemia and lymphoma are cancers of the blood, however they affect different areas within the body. Leukemia affects blood and bone marrow, while lymphoma affects the immune system and often areas including the lymph nodes, spleen and the thymus gland.

Although both cancers have certain similarities, there are different approaches to treatment, as well as different symptoms and overall survival rate. No matter which one a patient may have, palliative care can help them receive the care they need during this challenging time.

What are the Symptoms of Leukemia?

Leukemia happens when the bone marrow makes too many abnormal white blood cells. Rather than dying off as blood cells do during a normal, healthy process, the white blood cells multiply too fast, edging out the healthy white blod cells. Imagine a drain that’s clogged up and the water has nowhere to go.

An abundance of abnormal white blood cells means that there are fewer other components in the blood, including red blood cells (that help shuttle oxygen where it’s needed) and platelets, which help blood clot and begin the healing process.

Symptoms of leukemia can include:

• Persistent weakness
• Feeling fatigued
• Having a fever or chills
• Weight loss
• Frequent infections
• Excessive sweating
• Bruising or bleeding easily
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Enlarged liver or spleen
• Bone pain or tenderness

The treatment for leukemia can run an entire spectrum of possibilities. It may be as simple as monitoring the progression of the cells, to stronger treatments like chemotherapy, radiation or even stem-cell treatment.

What are the Symptoms of Lymphoma?

There are two different types of lymphoma, classified as Hodgkin lymphoma (which affects a certain type of cell and is rarer) and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, which affects other types of cells and is more common.

The symptoms depend on the type of lymphoma. For example, with Hodgkin lymphoma, the patient may often feel:

• A lump in their groin area, neck or armpit (a swollen lymph node)
• Fever
• Weight loss
• Appetite loss
• Night sweats
• Severe itching
• Fatigue
• Higher sensitivity to alcohol

While Non-Hodgkin lymphoma symptoms include similar symptoms like enlarged lymph nodes, fever, fatigue and weight loss, but also distinctive symptoms on its own, including:

• Feeling full after only eating a little food
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing
• Chest pain or a tightness in the chest
• Chills
• Swelling in the abdomen

How Can Palliative Care Help Lymphoma and Leukemia Patients?

Palliative care, such as that given by True Care Hospice, is designed to provide support alongside the patient’s current medical team. This supportive network helps ensure that all of their needs are met, including dealing with treatment side effects as well as providing resources and education to help the patient better understand what is happening in their body and what they can do to help themselves recover.

Common side effects that happen during cancer treatment can range from nausea and vomiting from the chemotherapy and radiation, to hair loss, fatigue and depression. Patients may find it difficult to fully understand the treatments available to them and what other support systems exist to help them.

How to Get Palliative Care

Starting palliative care is very simple. The patient or their family can request a referral to work with True Care Hospice. Our team can then work to better understand the patient’s situation as well as work with their medical team and come to their home to ensure that all their needs are being met and that they feel supported and well cared for.

We here at True Care Hospice endeavor to be patient advocates who are focused on wellness in every form — mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Should you or someone you know receive a diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma, we would be glad to speak to you in more detail and provide you with your options so that you can make a decision with confidence.

Contact us at (855) 905-0851 to learn more about our palliative care services and how we can help you or your loved one navigate this challenging diagnosis while providing the support and comfort needed during this difficult time.

Coping with Grief Using the Grief Recovery Method

When a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or may not have much time left, grief is an ever-present spectre. The Grief Recovery Method has helped countless people move through the various stages of grief in a way that is gentle and compassionate. Here’s how it works.

The Problem with How We’ve Been Taught to Deal with Grief

Oftentimes, when a loved one passes on, we’re told to be strong, to stand tall. And this causes us to keep all of those necessary emotions – including grief – bottled up inside as we work to put on a good face.

What’s more, the old adage “time heals all wounds” really doesn’t apply here. Of course, the intensity and the raw pain of the loss will ebb away over time, but there will always feel like there’s a hole there — a void of emotion that simply can’t be filled.

A deep loss, such as the loss of a loved one injures you on an emotional level. With a broken bone, you’d go to the doctor, have the bone set, have a cast put on and wait for the bone to heal. But there’s no cast for a broken heart. This is where the Grief Recovery Method can help.

What Is The Grief Recovery Method?

The Grief Recovery Method won’t heal your hurting heart overnight, just as a cast doesn’t heal a broken bone instantly. But rather, it helps to set the stage for the recovery process to begin. In order for this method to work, it involves asking yourself a series of questions and then working through the emotions as they happen, rather than continuing to push them down into the pit of your stomach.

You will have to work through them at some point — avoiding them or trying to force them out of the picture will only do more harm later. That’s why it’s a good idea to work together with a certified grief counselor who can help you move through all of these stages and answer each of these questions as you’re able to:

• What do you wish you had said (or not said) to the deceased?
• What do you wish you had done (or not done) to the deceased?
• What do you wish that they had said or not said to you?
• What do you wish that they had done or not done to you?
• What do you wish had been different about your relationship or situation with them?
• What do you wish you still had more to share with them in the situation or relationship?
• How has the loss of the deceased affected your dreams or hopes for the future?

These are all pertinent — and painful — questions. But having a trusted advisor on your side who can help guide you through it can make the process much more bearable for both you and your family.

If you’d like to learn more about the Grief Recovery Method, contact us at True Care Hospice today.