End of Life Care in Maryland
Specialized memory care homes provide a critical service to older adults with dementia and memory-related conditions. These assisted living communities ensure your loved one receives the highest level of care from people who understand how to deal with memory loss and related symptoms. Our end-of-life dementia care also offers specialized care for those nearing the end of their lives, providing comfort, support, and compassion during this difficult time.
As residents age in place, they may decline to the point where their condition is deemed terminal. At this point, they may need end-of-life care, such as palliative or hospice services. End-of-life care includes pain and symptom management, disbursement of medication, emotional support and assistance with the activities of daily living, among others.
At Cedar Creek Memory Care Homes, we understand the importance of letting our residents enjoy the stability of our homes throughout their lives. This is why we introduced end-of-life support for residents who chose not to receive heavily invasive medical treatments.
What Is End-of-Life Care?
Hospice and palliative care services are both considered end-of-life care that helps family members and patients cope with the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges associated with serious illnesses. These are healthcare services given to patients who’ve received a terminal diagnosis. Hospice and palliative care can be offered anywhere — private homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, memory care facilities or in a hospital setting (for a patient who needs significant medical treatment).
Hospice care can begin when a patient has met certain criteria, received a prognosis of 6 months or less, and has opted not to have curative treatment. Assisted Living staff and a hospice team visit regularly and can work together to offer both services in one place to allow residents to continue to receive the supportive care they need in a familiar environment.
Palliative care is slightly different because it can include specialized medical care and curative treatments or interventions according to an individuals end of life needs. Palliative care can also be provided in an assisted living environment, offering familiarity and comfort to individuals who choose to receive this service. The palliative care team is dedicated and works together to prioritize treatment, enhance the overall quality of life, manage pain, and alleviate symptoms.
Both services include caring for the person’s emotional, spiritual and psychosocial support needs to improve their well-being.
Benefits of End-of-Life Care at
Cedar Creek Assisted Living Homes
Memory-Care Residents With Terminal Diagnoses Can Age in Place
Many seniors have expressed the desire for stability as they get older, which is why settings that allow them to age in place are growing in popularity. When end-of-life services become necessary, the hospice and assisted living caregivers collaborate to offer residents increasing levels of care until their final days.
Families of Terminally Ill Residents Can Receive Practical Support
A hospice program provides approaches to support the terminally ill resident from a holistic perspective. This means providing everything they might need to improve their level of comfort. Therefore, hospice caregivers can help families through end-of-life decisions, estate planning and even anticipatory grief counseling to help them make peace with their loved one’s impending death.
Insurance Coverage: Peace of Mind for Your Care Needs
Most private health insurance policies, including Medicare, cover the cost of hospice care at assisted living facilities. Medicare offers “comfort care,” which alleviates pain and discomfort when an ailing person stops responding to treatment. For Medicare to cover hospice care, the resident must:
- Be at least 65 years old
- Be diagnosed with a severe or terminal illness
- Have a certified doctor’s report stating their prognosis is six months or less
- Give up life-saving treatment
A Resident’s Lifespan Can Increase During Hospice Care
Hospice care doesn’t mean the resident has given up or stopped fighting. It provides real support, including medical support to increase the quality of life. This support reduces the stress on a resident, directly improving quality of life and sometimes even increasing lifespan. Therefore, they can be present with their loved ones for longer because of the dignity and support in hospice care.
Tailored Support for Every Memory Care Resident’s Unique Journey
A resident who doesn’t need highly invasive medical treatments can benefit significantly from hospice support. The caregivers at Cedar Creek Memory Care Homes will continue to offer assistance in activities of daily living, increasing scope as the resident’s care needs increase. When end-of-life support becomes necessary, our experienced and certified caregivers step in to handle this aspect. The patient continues receiving all the same support they had before their terminal diagnosis.
Hospice Caregivers Can Coordinate Care Plans
A resident with memory care and related ailments needs more support and continuity as their disease advances. The hospice team plays a critical role in helping assisted living caregivers coordinate all their care efforts. They can offer skilled support to families to help them understand their loved one’s unique needs at the end of their lives. This approach provides the least disruption to the resident’s life on all fronts, improving their last days.
Ensuring Comfort in Life’s Final Journey at Cedar Creek
Familiarity and stability are two critical qualities that residents of Cedar Creek Memory Care Homes need throughout their lives. Uprooting a memory care resident to another setting can destabilize them physically and emotionally, causing their health to decline. This, in turn, may reduce their quality of life.
At Cedar Creek, our staff members have worked with memory care residents for over 25 years. Currently, one of our managers has received certification in end-of-life care, and more are still in training. You can trust that your loved one will receive the best level of care in their final months, weeks and days.
Explore Cedar Creek: Your Partner in End-of-Life Alzheimer’s Care
If your family member is in search of memory care in Maryland, Cedar Creek can give your loved one the unique support they need throughout their lives, including their last months and weeks.
We hope families find comfort in knowing that their loved ones will be cared for by the people who know them in their final weeks and days at our end-of-life dementia program for your loved one with a terminal diagnosis. Contact us to schedule a site visit and learn more about our end-of-life care program for your loved one with a terminal diagnosis. Our staff members have received special training in dementia care, including end-of-life support.
Auxiliary House Memory Care Home
5501 Southwick St, Bethesda, MD 20817
(301) 384-4017
