As hospice care focuses on quality of life over curative treatments, wound care makes up an important aspect of hospice care. This is because patients suffering from terminal illnesses have a higher risk of developing wounds due to weakened skin tissues.
At Maxcare Hospice, our goal is to provide compassionate care, enabling our patients to live out their remaining days with comfort and dignity. This involves preventing wounds and managing them if healing is no longer possible.
Common Wounds in Hospice Care
Our experienced care team has specialized knowledge in preventing and treating wounds in our patients, even in the most complicated cases. We understand that each wound has its unique characteristics and will require a specialized approach.
Common hospice wounds we treat:
- Skin tears: These wounds often occur on limbs and are a result of extreme friction
- Pressure wounds: This is the most common type of wound that happens due to skin failure. To prevent this, our care team regularly reassures patients in bed to prevent bed sores.
- Venous ulcers: These appear on the legs and cause them to become painful
- Deep tissue injuries: A deep tissue injury caused by constant friction, and if not managed, it can quickly progress into an advanced wound
- Tumors or fungating lesions: The location of these wounds is dependent on the type of cancer, but they are very distressing as they may bleed and have an odor
Wound Care Includes
Wound care in hospice includes prevention, treatment, and management when healing is no longer an option.
Prevention methods that are used in hospice include:
- Repositioning patients to avoid pressure wounds
- Using foam supports and specialty pillows for better protection
- Keeping the skin well moisturized
To ensure that patients are comfortable, even when dealing with wounds, our hospice care team can manage the pain with topical analgesics and pain medication. Wounds also have an effect on the emotional well-being of patients, which is why special care is given to treat seeping or malodorous wounds by covering the wound to collect seepage and cover the odor.
Wound care in hospice also includes:
- Wound assessment
- Wound treatment
- Infection management
- Patient and family education
