Question

A hospice nurse is consulting with a client and her family about receiving home services. Which of the following statements should the nurse identify as an indication that the family understands home hospice care?

a. We'll continue aggressive medical treatments at home.
b. We want to focus on comfort and quality of life during this time.
c. Our goal is to find a cure for the illness while at home.
d. We plan to admit the client to the hospital for end-of-life care.

Answer 1

The family demonstrates an understanding of hospice care when they express a desire to focus on the patient's comfort and quality of life. Hospice care provides a death with dignity, pain management, and emotional support in a familiar setting, while reducing the caregiving burden on families.

Step-by-step explanation:

The family's understanding of home hospice care is accurate when they state they want to focus on comfort and quality of life during this time. This aligns with the key principles of hospice care, which prioritize providing a death with dignity and pain management in a familiar and comfortable environment, often outside a hospital setting. Hospice care is not aimed at aggressive medical treatments or finding a cure, but rather at maximizing the comfort of the patient in the last phase of life and offering emotional support to both the patient and their family, often resulting in their being able to remain in the comfort of their own home.

Research has shown that patients receiving hospice care report high levels of satisfaction, in part because they are not completely dependent on strangers for care, and also because hospice services can prolong life expectancy when compared to non-hospice patients. Family members also benefit, as they receive emotional support, are kept informed about their loved one's condition, and experience reduced burdens of care. This allows for increased family and social support, which can improve coping during this difficult time.