Hospice Personalized Care Plans Based On Condition
In the last few years, personalized care plans and their usage have markedly increased in providing health care services. A one-size-fits-all approach to a care plan no longer works. So you cannot impose the care plan of one patient on another patient because needs and requirements vary according to the illness and condition of the patient.
What Is A Personalized Care Plan?
In the practice of hospice care, a personalized care plan is an approach that addresses the patients’ complete range of needs, taking their health, personal, family, social, emotional, educational, financial, psychological, emotional and cultural requirements into consideration.
A personalized care plan is based on a clear set of instructions that allows healthcare professionals and patients to achieve their desired goal regarding any specific need or illness that vary from patient to patient.
It is the joint involvement of patients and their families with healthcare professionals in making decisions related to chronic healthcare conditions.
The personalized care plan allows patients and families to make their own choice and in doing so control the plan they are going to receive as their primary health care plan.
Personalized Care Plan In A Hospice
In hospice care, terminally ill patient and their condition is vital in shaping their care plan. It is not possible to make a standard care plan to deal with all patients because every patient has their own needs and preferences. The patients are suffering from different types of terminal diseases with varying symptoms. Hence, it is essential to create a unique care plan for every patient by having an intimate conversation with them and close examination of patients by the healthcare professionals, who can design a plan as per the requirements and convenience of the patient.
The focus of a personalized plan in hospice care is to fulfill the needs of terminally ill patients who don’t have much time and their end of life journey has started. The goal of the personalized care plan is to provide optimum care and support at every possible stage so patients can live in comfort.
Principles Of Personalized Care Planning
- Personalized care planning of Melodia Care is based on few principles, like:
- Necessary interventions for pain and symptom management.
- Relevant medications and treatment plan.
- Proper documentation by the hospice team mentioning the patient’s and their family involvement, level of understanding and agreement with the care plan.
- What type of other additional service is required in terms of dealing with social, physical, emotional, spiritual and mental issues.
- A descriptive document of the scope and frequency of the services that are relevant to precisely fulfill the need of patients and their families.
- Demand for medical equipment and supplies concerning patient’s condition.
- Predictive outcomes by implementing the plan.
- A substantial review of the plan to look for any necessary changes needed.
Why Is It Important?
The personalized care plan promotes the support of self-care and relevant information to support choice. It is responsible for improving the health and well-being of the patients. Even for the interdisciplinary team members, it provides better clarity of team roles and teamwork.
Personalized care planning empowers individuals, provides independence and helps them make decisions for their care plan. It ultimately recognizes other vital issues in addition to medical care which can primarily affect the patients’ health and well-being. The benefits produced by personalized care planning are far-reaching.
Effective Personalized Care Plan In A Hospice
Generally, plans are said to be effective when the care plan is comprehensive in depicting the needs of patients, their opinion, choices and preferences. Melodia Care aims to work hard in producing more competent and impressive care plans for our hospice patients. We have made our personalised care plans more effective by:
- Maintaining a proper record system of patients for easy tracking.
- Keeping patients and families involved in setting up the goals of the care plan.
- Having clear and detailed conversations with patients and their families, knowing what their needs are and what do they expect from Melodia Care.
- Keeping all members of the InterDisciplinary Team updated about the patient.
- Recording the feedback and findings of the hospice team regarding the patient.
- Documenting the needs and preferences of the patient.
- Focusing on the severity of diseases and comorbidities.
- Educating patients and their families throughout the care plan.
- Having flexibility in care plans to make amendments when the need arises.
- Assessing health risks.
Why Do Hospice Patients Need Personalized Care Plans?
Hospice patients are exposed to terminal illnesses and have multiple issues along with their life-threatening diseases. Keeping patient’s condition, requirements and preferences are to be kept in mind while creating a personalized plan. The hospice team ensures that care plans are optimally suited to manage the patients’ diseases and symptoms, including behavioral health interventions.
The personalized care plan is responsible for improving the quality of life of the patients. Patients can have control in their hands when it comes to enhancing their hospice experience and achieving a better value in terms of a satisfying end-of-life journey.
The involvement of the hospice care team is entirely proportional to the complexity of the patient’s needs. The healthcare professionals play a significant role in supporting patients to acknowledge, understand and adapt to continue living with their terminal illness.
Undoubtedly, the personalized care plan is a promising approach that offers the potential to provide adequate assistance to hospice patients that can lead to a better health outcome.
Who Is Needed For Personalized Care Coordination?
The hospice care professionals require a whole team to coordinate the implementation of personalized care plan because a single healthcare professional cannot do this job. IDT works together to provide comfort and dignified care to the patients and their families to meet their needs and satisfaction.
IDT involves healthcare professionals like hospice physicians, hospice nurses, hospice social workers, hospice chaplains, hospice therapists, hospice nursing aides and hospice volunteers. Providing with some extra mediums of relaxation, music therapy, physical therapist and other professionals are also included.
Apart from the interdisciplinary team, family members are also needed because they are patient’s primary caregivers.
Overall, the joint efforts of the interdisciplinary team and primary caregivers supports and manages the physical, social, medical, emotional, spiritual needs of hospice patients and their families facing the terminal illness.
Role Of Patient's Condition In Personalized Care Plans
Terminally ill patients are unique; they have different types of chronic illnesses with various symptoms. Naturally, one patient’s experience compared with another patient differs even if they have the same disease. Then how can we even expect to have the same plan for all patients despite having various conditions? Thus, personalized care plans are a must for patients suffering whether from the same diseases or different diseases.
There are several health conditions that require personalized care plans, such as:
Cancer
Cancer is a disease in which the body cells grow abnormally and uncontrollably. Cancerous cells can spread from one part of the body to another, causing more damage.
End-stage cancer is the untreatable one. In that case, the focus of a personalized care plan is no longer a cure; instead, it focuses on providing compassionate care that promotes quality of life. The care plan addresses the preferences of patients, their emotional and social needs and medical interventions. The goal of the plan is to keep the patients comfortable.
Frailty Syndrome
Frailty is an age-related syndrome in which physiological and functional decline occurs, leading to increased vulnerability. Patients suffering from frailty syndrome are at higher risks of falls, weight loss, mental disability, physical weakness and diminished appetite.
Such patients need long-term care plans to meet their specific needs and hospice care can be ideal for them to deal with their issues.
Cardiovascular Disease
The patients suffering from heart disease have varying symptoms and conditions on day to day basis. The most common symptoms are palpitations, breathing difficulty, chest pain, overall functional decline, uncontrolled blood pressure and inconsistent heart rate.
The personalized care plan focus on observing and dealing with blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation and breathing rate, medical intervention and pain management. It provides proper attention to every particular need according to what the patient’s condition demand. It also provides emotional and physical support to patients to make them feel better.
Renal Failure
Renal failure is a condition in which one or both kidneys stop functioning and accumulate waste products in the body rather than filtering them out from the blood. The levels of blood urea and creatinine increase.
The hospice care works with the patient to alleviate pain and symptoms like retention of fluid, excessive fatigue, swelling of legs and ankles as well as abnormal blood pressure. A personalized care plan provides emotional and spiritual assistance and optimum care at every level to make patients feel peaceful.
Lou Gehrig's Disease
It is a nervous system disorder that progressively destroys the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord which in result causes loss of muscle control. Lou Gehrig’s Disease is also commonly known as ALS, i.e. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
The disease badly affects the quality of life by affecting muscular control while eating, moving, speaking and even breathing. Hence, hospice care needs to look over the patient’s feeding, physical exercise, speech therapy and assistance in performing daily tasks.
HIV/AIDS
It is a viral disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This virus attacks the body’s immune system and makes the body weak and more susceptible to infections and diseases. If HIV is not treated, it can transform into the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the last stage of HIV.
Terminally ill patients having AIDS need particular safety protocols as AIDS is a transmittable disease that can pass on through sexual intercourse, blood, breast milk, vaginal fluid and rectal fluid contact. For looking after AIDS patients, hospice has to be cautious that there are no such chances of transmission to any other patient or involved hospice team members.
Hospice care plans are personalized for AIDS patients addressing hydration, skincare, food nutrition and recurrent infections. The care plan has the goal to improve their quality of life and relieve their pain and symptoms.
Pulmonary Disease
Pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, eng-stage tuberculosis, chronic asthma, etc. are life-threatening pulmonary diseases.
Such patients require emergency responses in case of any breathing discomfort, medical interventions to relieve pain and management and physical therapy for helping in breathing issues. The care plan aims to enhance the comfort level of patients.
Neurological Disease
Stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinsonism, Coma, Epilepsy and Huntington’s Disease are common neurological diseases that can change into terminal illnesses.
Such patients’ care plan is based on their Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score that can denote the ability to perform eye responses, speech and body movements. Most patients with neurological disorders need medical intervention, speech therapy, physical therapy and nursing aide as a must to enhance their quality of life.
Hepatic Disease
With the alliance of patient and hospice physicians, personalized plans are created for terminally ill children to allow them to have smooth and less aggravating health encounters. It outlines all the medical issues and what specific needs they have.
In documenting the care plan, parents play the crucial role of empowerment and credibility. In hospice care, children are dealt with extra love and care.
Sepsis (Septicemia)
It is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body brings solid immune responses resulting in wide spread inflammations that damage body tissues and organs. The disease begins with sepsis, progresses via severe sepsis and ultimately converts into septic shock. It can cause confusion and disorientation in elderly patients.
A personalized care plan for hospice takes necessary protocols in consideration thus preventing the infection and looks out for symptoms like pyrexia, tachycardia and tachypnea. Hospice care provides medication to relieve pain and symptoms along with a better quality of life.
You can reach us at any time by contacting us through our 24/7 online customer support chat or by calling 1-888 635-6347 (MELODI-7) & Melodia Care Hospice.
Frequently Answered Questions (FAQs)
1. What is a personalized care plan?
A personalized care plan involves patients and healthcare professionals working together to manage health conditions and diseases through conversations where the plan’s aim and the action plan are decided.
2. Who will be involved in providing a personalized care plan?
In providing a personalized care plan, hospice physicians of the Interdisciplinary team are involved with the patient’s family and caregiver.
3. Is there any benefit of a personalized care plan? If yes, then what are the benefits?
Yes, there are many benefits like patients’ and families’ decisions and preferences are honored. They can keep themselves fully involved in making their medical decisions to have a quality of life they desire. The ultimate goal is to provide comfort and support concerning their wishes and health conditions.
4. What are the examples of health conditions of the terminal patient that need personalized care?
A personalized care plan is needed by terminally ill patients suffering from impairment of kidney, liver, brain, heart, lungs and diseases like cancer, AIDS, sepsis and others.