Hospice Team in Texas

The skilled nurses provide hands-on experience, while assessing the needs and managing the pain and symptoms of the patients. The nurses also provide support for the family members and help to educate the caregivers on how to assist in caring for their loved ones.

Tend to personal care and other activities of daily living for the patients. They also provide companionship, as well as emotional and spiritual support for patients and loved ones.

Hospice physicians, in conjunction with the patient's primary care physician and the hospice care team, create a care plan that manages pain and controls symptoms associated with the patient's terminal illness or disease.

The social workers look after emotional needs, helping patients with feelings of fear and anxiety, or communication issues with family. They can help with social aspects of care such as nursing facility placement if needed or coordinating available community resources and matters that are not medical related. Also, they can assist with funeral arrangements, advance directives, grief counseling, finances, insurance benefits and any other difficulties.

The chaplains, or spiritual counselor, provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families, guiding them through tough decisions and questions that they may have at the end-of-life. They may share moments of silence to reflect on positive memories and provide understanding to relieve strained relationships between loved ones.

Volunteers may provide services either in the way of clerical support to the office, or through patient care activities The trained volunteers provide companionship and support while visiting with patients. They assist with simple caregiving responsibilities and may help with household chores, errands, or transportation if needed.

• Support for patients. This can include visiting, reading, taking walks, writing letters, bringing in music, supervising visits with pets and/or massage therapy, for volunteers with the necessary skills.
• Respite and support for family members. Volunteers can assist with shopping or household maintenance, or allow family caregivers the opportunity to take care of necessary errands and get some time away from the house.
• Bereavement support programs. Hospice volunteers can work closely with the hospice's professional bereavement staff.

The bereavement consultants help patients and families through the different phases of the end-of-life process. They help patients, families and friends prepare for situations at the end-of-life and provide bereavement support and grief counseling to the families for up to 13 months.