Hospice Insights: What is Coordinated Care?
If you’ve been researching hospice care, you’ve probably come across the term “coordinated care.” This isn’t a buzzword or marketing term — it’s a critical component of delivering effective care to hospice patients.
Here’s some insight into what coordinated care means and why it’s so important, from our hospice in South Jersey.
What is Coordinated Care and Why is it so Important to Hospice Patient Care?
Hospice cases are not simple ones. When people come to us, they have gone or are presently going through a transition from curative to palliative care. They may be moving to our community from homecare, assisted living, or intensive care. Their needs are complex and our role is to deliver holistic care focusing not only on medication and nursing care, but also on wellness, quality of life, comfort, and spiritual care.
This requires bringing together a wide range of specialists from doctors and nurses to therapists and companions. Each person on that team needs to understand the patient’s needs in detail, build a comprehensive treatment plan that is unique to their healthcare and wellness needs, and work with the patient and their loved ones openly to provide support and clear communication. This is known as coordinated care.
What Happens in the Coordinated Care Process?
First, the team as a whole will spend time getting to know the patient, their family and caregivers, getting to know care preferences, and any religious or cultural wishes and preferences. The team will note the patient’s care needs, routines, and capabilities to help ease the transition and develop a care plan.
The team will make a diagnosis to ensure documentation of all health conditions and symptoms and develop a comprehensive care program that provides effective symptom management and comfort for the patient.
Additional therapists may assist with hospice care: holistic specialists, social workers, counsellors, spiritual care, and community support specialists as well as medical therapists. A bereavement specialist will also be part of the team.
By sharing patient information among every member of the team in real time and with specialist insight, patient care is kept at the highest quality and no issue is overlooked. It is the most effective way to ensure comprehensive, compassionate palliative care and support to patients and their loved ones.
Want to Find Out More About End-of-Life Care Services? Contact Our Hospice in South Jersey
At The Shores, a part of the well-known United Methodist Communities non-profit organization in New Jersey, we offer a compassionate, professional hospice neighborhood in the Jersey Shore called Bridges. In this program, we focus on creating a nurturing and comforting environment for patients and their loved ones through customized care programs and compassionate support. To find out more about our hospice in Cape May County, please visit our website at https://umcommunities.org/theshores/hospice-care-nj/ or contact us today and organize your visit.
