Transitional Care Options

Different types of care are available for different types of needs. Transitional care may include management of the patient's medical condition and rehabilitation, plus supportive services to ensure basic needs such as comfort, hygiene, safety, and nutrition. It may also include supportive services for educational, social, spiritual, and financial needs. The following is a list of some of the care options that meet the assessed needs of patients during transition:

Place of care

• Hospital.
• Nursing home.
• Rehabilitation unit or facility.
• Patient's home.
• Home of family caregiver.
• Hospice.
  • May be in an inpatient setting specified by the hospice or in the patient's home.
  (See the PDQ summary on Last Days of Life for more information.)

Caregivers

Health care specialists and other caregivers work as a team, providing services to patients in their homes, clinics, and other settings. These may include the following:

• Doctor.
• Nurse.
• Dietitian.
• Physical therapist.
• Occupational therapist.
• Social worker.
• Mental health professional.
• Clergy or other religious leader.
• Companions.
• Home care aides.

Programs that provide care may include the following:

• Bereavement programs.
• Community support groups.
• Employment counseling agencies.
• Home health agencies.
• Home infusion agencies.
• Hospice programs.
• Legal aid organizations.
• Palliative care programs.

Medication support

• Pain and symptom management. (See the PDQ summary on Pain for more information.)
• Chemotherapy.
• Blood transfusions.
• Medications that cause blood cells to grow and mature.
• Antibiotics (drugs used to treat infections).
• Treatments that help improve or restore lung function.
• Wound and skin care.

Nutrition support

The patient may be able to eat normally or may need supplemental nutrition by mouth, by tubefeeding, or by delivery into a vein. (See the PDQ summary on Nutrition in Cancer Care for more information.)

Special equipment

The type of equipment needed, if any, will depend on the patient's condition. Some commonly needed devices include the following:

• Medical appliances (such as catheters, tubes for drainage, and bags for colostomies).
• Assistive devices (wheelchairs, walkers, special beds and mattresses).
• Pumps to deliver medication into the body.
• Respirators (machines that help the patient breathe).