While family and friends must be relied on to give most of the care, hospices do provide volunteers to assist with errands and to provide a break and time away for major caregivers. It's never easy and sometimes be quite hard. So,hospices have staff available around the clock to consult with the family and to make night visits as appropriate. Hospice patients are cared for by a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, home health aides, clergy, therapists, and volunteers-and each provides assistance based on his or her area of exprtise. In addition, hospices help provide medications, supplies, equipment, hospital services, and additional helpers in the home as appropriate.
Hospices do nothing either to speed up or to slow down the dying process.
Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise during the time of child birth, so hospice provides its presence and specialized knowledge during the dying process. Although most hospice services are delivered in a personal residence, some patients live in nursing homes or hospice centers. In addition, physical and occupational therapists assist patients to be as mobile and self-sufficient as possible, and they are often joined by specialists schooled in music therapy, art therapy, diet counseling, and other therapies. Hospice believes that emotional and spiritual pain are just as real and in need of attention as physical pain, so it addresses these, as well. Counselors, including clergy, are available to assist family members as well as patients.