Although the home health aides follow the plan of care developed by the hospice care team, they are not nurses. However, the services they provide for patients and families are equally vital.
After a patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the stress can take a toll on the family members, especially on those who are charged with taking on the role of caregiver. Whether the patient resides at home or an assisted living facility, Faith in Angels Hospice will assign a hospice aide who will begin regular visits to assist the patient and the family with everyday duties.
These services include:
- Shower, tub bath, or bed bath
- Shaving of the patient
- Dressing of the patient
- Washing hair of the patient
- Combing hair of the patient
- Oral care or denture care for the patient
- Help with toileting or incontinent care
- Care and cleaning of foley catheters
- Nail care for the patient
- Back rub/massage care
- Turning and repositioning bed bound patients
- Transferring from bed to chair or chair to bed
- Assistance with walking
- Range of motion exercises
- Changing bed sheets
- Light housekeeping
Although the patient is surely cared for by family, nurses, and other medical professionals, a certified home health aide provides an extra level of assistance which ensures all the patient’s personal needs are met. Due to their regular and intimate interaction with our patients, they usually end up developing a personal relationship and are an invaluable resource in relaying back pertinent information related to the patient’s condition back to the Faith in Angels Hospice interdisciplinary team.
Another effect of this personal interaction is a level of emotional and spiritual comfort and bond that is established between the patient and CHHA. Because of this, the CHHAs are often the ones who are with the patient in their final moments, offering support for the patient as well as the family. Faith in Angels Hospice prides itself on having the best home health aides who are not only trained to provide the supplemental care that a family needs but a level of compassion that is essential for a patient’s comfort.