For the same reasons that out-patient treatment has become more widespread, home care is becoming an important part of oncology care. There are now a variety of home care agencies that are staffed by oncology nurses. Many people choose this type of treatment simply because they prefer to get their chemotherapy in the privacy of their own homes with family and friends close by.
Care in the Home Nurses can spend anywhere from a few hours to 24 hours in your home. Chemotherapy is not the only treatment you can get at home. Under the direction of the oncologist , the oncology nurse can provide you with wound care, central venous (CV) line care and teaching, intravenous (IV) hydration, IV antibiotics and total IV nutrition.
Hospice Care Hospice can be an important alternative if your cancer becomes very advanced. In the terminal stage of cancer, hospice care gives you the choice of spending the final days not at a
hospital but at home with loved ones by your side.
As with other oncology specialties, hospice nurses are closely involved with both you and your family. Under your doctor's guidance, the hospice nurse provides pain medication, including narcotics by many different routes.
They teach family and friends how to care for their loved ones and decrease their distress. The hospice nurse, together with social workers and clergy, also helps the family deal with the impending death and handle the
