Caregivers

Whether you are a husband, wife, parent, child, sister, brother, extended family member, friend or neighbor, the time may come in your life when you are called upon to care for someone who is coping with a serious illness. When that time comes, we want you to know that Hospice of Huntington is here to help.

The Challenges of Caregiving

As a caregiver, you may find yourself balancing many needs and responsibilities including:

• Meeting your loved ones' needs for physical, emotional and practical support.
• Dealing with your own sense of impending loss and grief.
• Providing emotional support through the process of dying
• Focusing on loved one vs. other personal responsibilities

When is the "right" time to call us?

Oftentimes families will tell us, 'We wish we had called you sooner.' For many, delaying hospice care means foregoing much-needed support in caring for a loved one. Hospice care not only offers benefits to the person you are caring for, but also to your extended family as well. If your loved one experiences one or more of the following, we urge you to consider calling us to learn how Hospice of Huntington can help:

• No longer responds significantly or as expected to treatments for his/her disease
• Expresses concern that the burden of treatment is outweighing the benefits
• Complains consistently about pain or other unrelieved physical symptoms
• Makes frequent short-term trips to the hospital and/or emergency room
• Loses significant weight without dieting
• Has difficulty carrying out the basic activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, eating, toileting
• Is sad or depressed about his or her advanced-stage condition and overall quality of life

Supporting the Caregiver

In order to adequately care for someone who is seriously ill, it is equally important for caregivers to take good care of themselves. Hospice of Huntington offers medical, emotional and spiritual support to both patients and the family/friends who care for them. Our Information and Referral staff is available to discuss options with patients, families and physicians. Consider hospice care if you and your family:

• Are coping with a terminal chronic progressive illness
• Feel physically or emotionally drained and/or socially isolated, anxious, sad and fearful about the months/weeks/days ahead
• Need physical, emotional and spiritual support to deal with the many strains on your time, energy, emotions, and/or finances.
• Are unsure about whether or not to consider hospice

Hospice of Huntington can help sooner than you think

What if I want information before I think it's "time"?

There is no obligation to accept hospice care when you call us for information. Our information & referral staff will sensitively discuss your concerns and answer your questions at any point in your loved one's illness. If it seems that hospice care may be appropriate and beneficial to your family, we will arrange for one of our nurses to visit your loved one for a free assessment of his/her condition.

Hospice of Huntington provides medical, emotional and spiritual support to both patients and the family/friends who care for them. Our referral staff is available to discuss options with patients, families and physicians. If you have questions about whether we can provide assistance to you and your family, please call us toll free at 1.800.788.5480.

Additionally, please visit our Patients & Families section to learn more about our programs and services.