5 Wonderful Sentimental Gift Ideas for Hospice Patients

When your loved one is terminally ill, then no gift is best than the time spent with them. The patient value the connection and you will make the fantastic memories that they will carry for the life they have left. A sentimental gift for the dying person can bring out the emotions and offer them great comfort. So, check out the few gifts for hospice patients.

1. Digital Photo Frame

At the end of life, a lot of people like reflecting on the cheerful times and those they have loved. They think a lot about their past and whether they lived a good life. You can help you terminally ill loved one by recalling the positive memories.

So you can gift them a digital photo frame loaded with special pictures. These frames can hold thousands of images can be set to switch off and on at the particular times every day. This gift will also offer home-like touch for those in the Hospice Center or Care Community Center.

2. Scrapbook or Photo Album

A scrapbook or album can also bring the cheer and comfort to your loved one. Pick a small size album (nearly four by six inches) that will be simple for your loved one to hold and handle. Choose simple pages without any extra decoration so that the person looks and absorb the pictures better.

3. Music

You can make your loved one to hear their favorite songs and bring out the happy memories. Identify the technology which would work the best for the person and their living space- whether an MP3 player, tablet (like as Kindle and iPod), CD player, vinyl records and traditional turntable.

You can also borrow CDs from the public library. If your loved one uses the internet, you can also set up a playlist on the items such as Spotify and Pandora. They will also create a playlist to match the musical taste of the person.

4. Message Bowl

Fill remaining bowl or another container with special messages written on paper slips that is both heart-throbbing and real ones. The lovely notes can be just from you alone, or you can ask others to contribute their messages.

5. Home Films

If your loved one has a stack of old home films, then get one or more converted to DVDs. You can enjoy the show together, and they will be able to see with others or when they are alone. It is the beautiful way to share the happy memories and enjoy the quality time together.

Salute Hospice offers the best Orange County Hospice Services for the patients on the deathbed and their families. Our compassionate team helps the patients at this challenging stage but give them comfort, love, and understanding into their life.

Home Health Care or Hospice: What To Pick For Your Loved One?

There are many differences between home health firms and in-home hospice care, but both render the same facilities like as 24*7 and long-term care by the expert professionals. But deciding on which one is best for your loved one is a little bit tricky.

Home Health vs. Hospice Care:

1. In the hospice care, the nursing visits are much common (usually unlimited visits for six months or for a long time) while people in the home health firms have nearly one visit per week from a professional nurse. Also, in the in-home hospice, the nurse spends more time with the patients every week.

2. The interdisciplinary team provides the best Pasadena hospice care (physician, nurse, social worker, chaplain, hospice aide, volunteer and bereavement specialist who come to the home of the patient.

But the Home health agencies provide the care to the private homes of the patient, but they are not limited to the registered nurses, speech/language pathologists, physical therapists, certified nursing assistants, and occupational therapists.

3. The hospice patients need not be homebound. They can leave home, take a trip or do errands if they feel they are well enough. But the patients living in the home health care must need certification from a doctor that they are homebound except for the short duration.

If you loved one is facing dementia where they can no longer be dependent on their own, so a nursing home, home health agencies, or assisted living facility is the best option. For those patients who can get care at home, then in-home care may be the viable option for them.

How to Choose What Is Right?

Picking a choose care for your loved one is a hard and emotional decision for the family. Thereby, whether you pick the in-home hospice care, nursing home, home health, or assisted living, they are going to get the similar care, and attention from the expert professionals. It is best to speak with the experienced professional if you are hunting the right fit.

Salute Hospice is the leading provider of # 1 hospice care services in the US that offers the best hospice care solutions and excellent care for your loved one. We also provide great comfort to the people who are facing the challenges in dealing with the terminal illness. Our Pasadena hospice care than provides the round-the-clock care and support for the patients. We give the extra medical attention while meeting the particular requirements. Plus, we offer the greatest quality of life for your loved ones once they enter the Pasadena home hospice care.

What To Do When Your Loved One Faces Difficulty In Chewing/Swallowing?

The appetite of the seriously ill patients lowers when they are near the end of life. Their body requirements and end-of-life nutrition also change. It might be due to the metabolic changes or decreased activity. Your loved one may also show symptoms such as pain, diarrhea, and nausea. Such type of situations become quite challenging for the family to cope up well.

Tips:

Serve the soft and easy consumable foods for the snacks and meals.

-Soak foods in the gravy, milk or broth

-Avoid dry, hard, and crips foods

-Puree family meals in a mixer or blender

-Serve baby food and also try to make them more tempting with seasonings and spices

-Avoid temperature extremes in the foods. Make sure that you not to serve very cold or hot food.

-Avoid serving acidic or spicy foods. Acidic ones include tomato sauces, citrus fruits, tomatoes and food made with vinegar.

How to manage nausea?

-Invite your loved one to consume more while feeling good

-Serve saltier foods

-Make sure that the terminally ill patients don't lie flat in stomach immediately after eating

-Reschedule meals if nausea happens continuously at the same time of the day

-Avoid offering sweet and greasy foods

-Provide fluids in between rather than with meals

-Motivate the patient to chew slowly and thoroughly

-Try to give them the sporty drinks, cola syrups, popsicles, and peppermints. Also, freeze the juices in the ice cube trays.

-Liquid meals are the best when the individual is feeling the pain of facing nausea. For example, give smoothies, ice cream, shakes, yogurt, soups, and cool drinks.

-Offer the anti-nausea medicines to the patients as advised by the doctor.

How To Manage Diarrhea?

-Avoid drinks and foods containing caffeine in it

-Offer medication as needed

-Serve tiny and frequent amounts of milk, rice, banana, rice cereal, and applesauce. You can also add toast to the diet.

-Use petroleum jelly to the sore regions in the bottom of your loved one as advised

-Restrict the use of fried, greasy, or fatty foods

-Call the nurse if diarrhea is frequent for more than six to eight hours

-Boost the fluid intake but avoid offering milk or fruit juice. Instead, give them sports drinks.

-If cramping exists, avoid providing gas-producing foods like as beans, cabbage, carbonated beverages, cauliflower, and broccoli.

-Avoid significant amounts of sorbitol-sweetened items and sweets.

Salute Hospice is the best hospice in Orange County that offers comfort care provided in the home of terminally-ill patients. Our comprehensive care includes visits from the expert professionals (nurses, social workers, physicians, certified home health aides, etc.), equipment and medications related to the hospice diagnosis. These fast services are offered 24*7 under strict supervision to help the family cope with intense situations at hand. If you loved one is feeling severe pain or other symptoms due to the illness, call our skilled hospice Orange County team today for quick relief!!