When your loved one comes to the point of needing Hospice services, choosing the right Hospice agency is imperative to your close one’s well-being. While it’s essential to know the right questions to ask when looking for a Hospice agency, it’s equally as important to know what mistakes to avoid during the hiring process.

One mistake could have severe consequences for your family. Therefore, you should take your time and find a dependable individual who will place your loved one’s needs first. To help you get started, here are five of the common mistakes family members make when picking a home care agency for their loved ones:

Interviewing just one Hospice Agency

The first mistake is that they have the “Freedom to choose” hospice agency to work with. Most patients/Families go with the first agency referred, assuming that’s the only option. The patient may call a hospice and request more data over the phone or by a visit.

The patient is encouraged to interview more than one hospice agency to discover what feels the best for them. Interviewing more than one agency will help you decide if they’re a good match based on their skills, background and personality.

See if the care provider has a positive attitude or Do they fully understand the person’s needs? Ask open-ended, rather than yes or no, questions. 

Not understanding what hospice services

It takes time to research an agency thoroughly, but getting as much information as possible is critical in the hiring process. To help families learn more about an agency’s purpose and services, some companies provide written notice of the rights and responsibilities to clients.

People should also find out if the agency is ready to develop a care plan for their loved one if supervisors monitor caregivers and make themselves available should family members have questions. By asking questions and getting the scope of services- you can utilize all the benefits these services can provide. 

Waiting too long to hire an agency

Many elders wish to have their privacy and independence, and they don’t want to have someone come into the home till they’re “ready.” Unfortunately, this willingness is then sometimes caused by an injury, illness or another emergency.

Even the families feel they have to wait until their loved ones have the last few days of life to enroll them in the services. The best thing is to start with an agency early on to build a rapport, provide care, and begin understanding how the whole process works, which is the groundwork for a long-term success plan. 

Thinking that these are costly medical services

People always feel that hospice is expensive. Whereas these services are free of cost to patients and their families. This is the benefit built into their Medicare and Medicaid benefit. It’s also a covered benefit by the Insurance, so there is no cost to the family. 

Assuming that only a doctor can refer patients to the hospice

Few families think that only a doctor can refer patients to the hospice. You can contact a hospice directly yourself, but the agency will usually also ask for your doctor or nurse referral. Families themselves can request an evaluation as Hospice agencies have their medical directors to provide assessments.

After which, the care will have a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors and trained volunteers who will be happy to assist your loved one. Hospice services focus on the quality of life instead of curing disease, so the patient or the family can decide to go for hospice care independently.

To avoid these and other mistakes, reach out to the caregiver at Ultimate Great Care Hospice. Our goal is to provide care for people going through life-limiting illnesses by keeping them comfortable and handling pain.

We understand that elder and individual needs care varies widely. No two situations are alike. Hence we provide a wide variety of services designed to discuss each of our client’s different sets of needs. We focus on presenting the best care possible for our patients and their families.

We serve clients across Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Los Angeles County, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, San Fernando Valley, Azusa, and the surrounding areas. To learn more about the services we offer, please click here or get in touch with us by clicking here.