The Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice Care

Is palliative care right for you?

Is hospice care right for you?

Do you know what special accommodations you or your parent may need?

You’re not the only one who isn’t sure what type of care they require. It’s important that you know your options! At Hillside Terrace, we want to ensure you have all your needs met.

The transition from living at home to palliative care or hospice care in Ann Arbor can be one of the most difficult decisions families and their loved ones have to make in the later stages of illness. Despite the difficulty, most of us will face these decisions for ourselves or on behalf of our parents.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care applies if you’re suffering from a serious illness like cancer, heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, etc. Hillside Terrace has the ability to provide Palliative Care thru our preferred in-house Hospice Palliative Care Team – Great Lakes Home Care Palliative & Hospice Caring.

This type of care focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress due to serious illness. The goal is to improve your quality of life. Do you need special accommodations? Do you need medical assistance around the clock? Palliative care can help accommodate your specific needs.

According to A Place For Mom, “palliative care can provide support for caregivers and patients, including:

Reducing high levels of suffering and distress among patients with serious illness, at any age and at any stage of disease
Improving communication among patients, families and health care providers with an emphasis on the family and patient’s personal choice and privacy
Addressing the needs of family caregivers as they cope with and care for a loved one with serious illness
Offering psychological and spiritual care, developing a support system to help the patient live as actively as possible
Improving patient and family satisfaction
Assistance navigating the healthcare system, including putting together an advance directive
Improving quality of care while reducing costs
- Allowing patients to remain comfortable, preventing and relieving pain and suffering, improving their quality of life
- Allowing patients to maintain connection to family and friends
- Fostering vitality and independence among patients"

What is Hospice Care?

According to WebMD, “Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness, such as cancer or heart failure. Hospice care also helps family members manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one.”

The goal is to keep you or your loved one comfortable and improve quality of life.

Hospice programs offer services in your own home or in a hospice center. Some hospices also offer services in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, or hospitals.

Some people think that starting hospice is a last resort, that it means they're giving up on life. Some think that hospice means a lower level of medical care. WebMD suggests “hospice is simply a type of care that focuses on the quality of your life instead of on continuing with treatment to prolong your life.”

The transition from living at home with limited care to hospice care can be extremely difficult. When a family member can’t take care of themselves, it can put a heavy burden on those they love. Many people aren’t up to the task of the daily care their loved one may require.

How to Choose Which Care You Require

You must pick a care facility that will meet your expectations, as well as give you the comfort you and your family most desire. At Hillside Terrace, you’re family! We have an integrated partnership working side by side with Great Lakes Hospice to provide hospice care in Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas of Saline, Milan, and Dexter. Nestled in the heart of the Old West Side on 10 acres of orchard and gardens, we offer a diverse combination of residents who will quickly become members of your loved one’s family.

We take pride in our life enrichment activities, as they nurture and stimulate the mind, body and spirit of our residents. We believe each resident and family member enriches our community in their own unique way by granting us the opportunity to reminisce of their remarkable accomplishments and life stories.

Quality Hospice Care in Ann Arbor, Michigan

At Hillside Terrace, we put ourselves into the resident’s and the family’s shoes. We want you to feel right at home! We treat our resident’s and their families the way we’d want to be treated if the roles were reversed. It’s hard to imagine what you’re going through, unless you’ve been down that road, as we have many times with our residents.

We’ll help you make a smooth transition into the community of your choosing. We offer the following homes for hospice care in Ann Arbor, including:

For floorplan information and availability, please contact us today at (734) 761-4451.

Hospice Care in Ann Arbor: Schedule a Tour!

We can help your family create peace of mind. When you’re at home you’ll know your loved one is taken care of and in good hands. Hillside Terrace – “Where our family shares life with your family!” Come see the difference we can make when your family shares life with our family. Schedule a tour of Hillside Terrace today– a facility for hospice care in Ann Arbor.