The hospice care industry is growing, with over 27 million Americans expected to require the service in the next decade. While it’s important that these individuals are given quality care and comfort during their final days, it’s also important for them to be surrounded by nature. A holistic approach to care helps patients and their loved ones cope with the end-of-life transition. The environment around them can also play a key role in helping them heal, which is why hospice facilities need to practice environmental stewardship even when they’re trying to reduce costs or improve efficiency. This blog post will offer tips on how you can ensure your hospice facility is more earth-friendly and holistic!
Have a holistic approach to patient care
Being holistic means considering the patient as a whole and not just focusing on their physical health. There are many ways to do this. You can have an in-depth discussion with patients about all factors of what’s going on in their lives. But also combine it with the treatment options from your hospice organization.
This is a good way to ensure that the patient’s emotional and mental well-being is cared for. You can also ensure there is plenty of nature for them to see at your hospice facility, such as having an outdoor garden space or lots of natural light indoors during visiting hours.
Provide spiritual support for patients and families
Providing spiritual support for those dying is incredibly important to ensure that they have a smooth transition from the physical world into the spiritual realm. However, providing spiritual support doesn’t just mean sitting with a patient and offering prayers. Instead, find ways to produce the same services in nature-based ways!
For example, you can leave prayer stones outside for patients and their families to pick up before they enter your hospice facility. Then when they return from visiting their loved one’s room or after attending an activity together, they will see these stones—reminding them of how close many of us are with our Creator (and that we’re never alone on this journey).
Another alternative is creating aromatherapy candles infused with uplifting essential oils. Not only does it create a calming ambiance within your hospice care facility, but it also reminds patients and their families that we go through so much to get to this place—only for it to be a short-lived experience.
Offer grief counseling services for the family members
While it’s important to provide your patients with relief from the pain and suffering that accompanies their illness, you should also consider how hard it must be on family members who are left behind. These loved ones have been through so much to get them this far—and now they’re faced with saying goodbye for what could potentially be forever.
Offering grief counseling services can give these individuals an outlet and help prevent any feelings of depression or regret later on down the road! Plus, grieving is a natural part of life. It doesn’t mean something was wrong if someone experienced grief after losing a loved one; it just means that person could form such strong connections that there wasn’t anything they could do about it when they were taken away.
Encourage healthy lifestyle habits
Some things you can encourage are eating well, exercising, and managing stress levels. These can be offered within the facility. For example, you can have a wellness room where family members can exercise. Or, for patients who cannot get up and walk around on their own, there’s always the option of having them do yoga or meditation in bed!
Providing healthy lifestyle habits isn’t just about the patient’s physical health but also their mental wellbeing—which is why it’s important to make sure these types of activities are offered throughout your hospice care facility.
Now that you know some great ways to ensure your hospice care facility is more earth-friendly go out there and start implementing these ideas! Your patients will thank you for taking them by the hand through this journey with nature as their guide.
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Keep in touch with the community
Partnering with local organizations or charities can help your hospice care facility feel more connected to the community around them. This can be done by providing volunteer opportunities for people within that organization or sponsoring a charity event!
For example: if you’re in the health care industry, why not start a free clinic? This way, when patients or their loved ones need medical assistance but don’t have insurance—they know that there’s at least one place where they can go for help.
Or another great option is sponsoring a charity event! You could provide employees with sponsorship opportunities so they can get active and promote your hospice care facility while helping out a good cause. Plus, it will allow them to network outside of work hours too!
Offer specialized programs
Some populations need specialized programs to help them transition from life to death. For example, you might want to consider creating a program for those who identify as LGBTQ+. This can be done through providing education and support within your hospice care facility or even having an open house so they can learn more about what specific services are offered!
What about ex-military veterans? Often they have a lot of experience in health care and would offer so much more than just their time. This is why you must think about ways your hospice care facility can get veterans involved, too—whether through employment or sponsorship opportunities!
These types of programs would help your hospice care facility feel more connected to the surrounding community and give them a sense of purpose. Make sure the patient’s insurance will cover this by contacting hospice revenue cycle management.
Now that you know how to ensure your hospice care facility is earth-friendly go out there and start incorporating these ideas! Your patients will thank you for taking their hand through this journey with nature as their guide.
