At our September 28 Club meeting, our Rotary Club had the opportunity to learn from Trisha Ratliff, Patient Experience Coordinator for HSHS Home Care, about the Medicare-certified Home Care and Hospice services provided by HSHS Home Care & Hospice.
Trisha helped us understand an important distinction: the primary difference between home care and hospice care is the goal of the care.
Home care focuses on recovery, rehabilitation and managing chronic conditions, with the goal of helping patients regain or maintain independence. Services may include physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.
Hospice care, on the other hand, focuses on comfort and quality of life for people with a terminal illness when curative treatment is no longer being pursued.
Trisha also explained the difference between palliative care and hospice care. Both focus on the patient’s comfort, needs and quality of life. Palliative care can provide specialized support for people living with serious illness at any stage, while hospice is a form of palliative care for those nearing the end of life, typically with a life expectancy of six months or less, when curative treatment is no longer pursued.
Finally, Trisha emphasized the importance of planning ahead by putting advance directives in place. These legal documents allow us to state our healthcare wishes in advance, helping guide our loved ones and medical team if we are ever unable to speak or make decisions for ourselves. Advance planning can also help ensure that our personal values and religious wishes are respected during medical emergencies and end-of-life care.
We are appreciative of these health care services being provided by HSHS and grateful to Trisha for sharing her knowledge and helping us better understand these important healthcare services and the value of planning ahead.