Follow up visits are made according to how sick the patient is. It may be only necessary to visit once a week if the patient's condition is stable. Other patients may need more than one visit a day if their condition is very poor and the family need additional support.
The hospice home care team does not provide the physical care of the patient. The patient's family provide the care. The role of the home care team is to ensure that the family caregiver knows how to give the necessary care such as giving medications, dressing of wounds, suction of a tracheostomy, changing colostomy bags.
Family members are capable of providing superb care if they are taught, supervised and reassured that they are capable of giving even better care than that which is available in a busy hospital ward.
One of the hospice team is available at all times to respond to calls from families who are concerned about the patient's condition. Some of these calls require only advice or reassurance that the patient is in no immediate danger. However, it is often necessary to visit the patient's house. Emergency treatment such as an injection for pain or the insertion of a urinary catheter may be necessary. Sometimes the death has occurred and the doctor will write the death certificate and instruct the family about notifying the authorities and calling the undertaker.
