Four Ways to Make Hospice Transport Work Better for Patients

At some point in their lives, our loved ones may have to encounter hospice transport not as a peripheral passenger on a van or ambulance, but as a patient conveyed by one of these vehicles.

They will be moved from a location they have called home to a space in which they will live the last days and months of their lives, a place where they will receive care and attention round the clock. This aspect of the journey of aging or being terminally ill can be a struggle for everyone involved with it.

When the time does come to take our older friends and relatives to such care centers, we may need to make special provisions for getting them there. This becomes extra important if they are partially or totally unable to get around by themselves.

It’s crucial that people in this position are made to feel as comfortable as possible, given the potential negatives that could arise in the transportation process. Whatever means you choose to move them with, you want to be sure that it comes with as many mood-stabilizing aspects as you can muster.

Here are a few things you could do to make trips to palliative care centers more pleasant for anyone who has to be taken through that journey at the end of their life.

1. Response and Discharge Should be Timely

This one’s probably more of a bother for the transporter (if you aren’t one).

If you are determined to make end-of-life care work more positive for the persons who need it, you should ensure that their movements take place as scheduled and quickly enough to avoid making them uncomfortable. Requests for such movements should be fulfilled at short notice.

It should also take just a short time to discharge patients to their chosen care center.

2. Have A Family Member or Friend on Board

For anyone who has to go to a palliative care facility, holding the hands of a loved one on the journey there can mean a whole lot. Brief conversations with someone they are familiar with can also keep them in good spirits.   

3. A Trained Caregiver Should Also Be Present

The patient being conveyed may be feeling distressed or gloomy about their situation. Everyone who’s onboard the vehicle should do what they can to make the experience as stress-free for that patient as they can.

This might mean that a nurse or some other kind of healthcare professional be around to assist the family, friend, or whoever else acquainted with the patient is in the vehicle.

It certainly helps if hospice transport is a part of the care center’s range of services. We would expect that they’re more able to understand what’s required here and that they should (as a result) run a service that actually works well.

4. The Vehicle Should Be Fit for Purpose

This will depend on the patient’s physical condition. If they’re using a wheelchair, the preferred vehicle for them could be a wheelchair van. Other considerations like safety measures and standard procedures should be tailored to improve the patient’s riding experience.

Final Words

If helping people move to their final residence on earth is one of our last duties to them, we would want to make it a dignified affair. The tips we have shared here should help hospice transport services do exactly that.