What is Hospice and Palliative care?

There isn’t a single specific point in an illness when a person should ask about hospice and palliative care; it very much depends on the individual.

Hospice is traditionally an option for people whose life expectancy is six months or less, and involves palliative care (pain and symptom relief) rather than ongoing curative measures, enabling you to live your last days to the fullest, with purpose, dignity, grace, and support. While some hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities provide hospice care onsite, in most cases hospice is provided in the patient’s own home. This enables you to spend your final days in a familiar, comfortable environment, surrounded by your loved ones who can focus more fully on you with the support of hospice staff.

The term “palliative care” refers to any care that alleviates symptoms, even if there is hope of a cure by other means. It is an approach that focuses on the relief of pain, symptoms, and emotional stress brought on by serious illness. Your disease doesn’t have to be terminal for you to qualify for palliative care and, in the U.S., many palliative treatments are covered by Medicare. In some cases, palliative treatments may be used to alleviate the side effects of curative treatment, such as relieving the nausea associated with chemotherapy, which may help you tolerate more aggressive or longer-term treatment.

When is it time for hospice and palliative care?

It’s not time for hospice care and palliative instead of curative treatment if you are currently benefiting from treatments intended to cure your illness. For some terminally ill patients, though, there comes a point when treatment is no longer working. Continued attempts at treatment may even be harmful, or in some cases treatment might provide another few weeks or months of life, but will make you feel too ill to enjoy that time. While hope for a full recovery may be gone, there is still hope for as much quality time as possible to spend with loved ones, as well as hope for a dignified, pain-free death.

There isn’t a single specific point in an illness when a person should ask about hospice and palliative care; it very much depends on the individual.

The following are signs that you may want to explore options with hospice care:

  • You’ve made multiple trips to the emergency room, your condition has been stabilized, but your illness continues to progress significantly, affecting your quality of life.
  • You’ve been admitted to the hospital several times within the last year with the same or worsening symptoms.
  • You wish to remain at home, rather than spend time in the hospital.
  • You have decided to stop receiving treatments for your disease.

Article Resource: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization


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Care for Terminally Ill Individuals – What is Hospice?

Hospice programs are available to help terminally ill individuals live their remaining days with dignity. These programs can assist the family (or other designated caregiver) in making the patient as comfortable as possible, and assistance is available around the clock, seven days a week.

Hospice is primarily a concept of care, not a specific place of care. Hospice care usually is provided in the patient’s home. It also can be made available at a special hospice residence. Hospice is a combination of services designed to address not only the physical needs of patients, but also the psychosocial needs of patients, their loved ones.

Hospice combines pain control, symptom management and emotional and spiritual support. Seniors and their families participate fully in the health care provided. The hospice team develops a care plan to address each patient’s individual needs. The hospice care team usually includes:

  • The terminally ill patient and his or her family caregiver(s)
  • Doctor
  • Nurses
  • Home health aides
  • Clergy or other spiritual counselors (e.g., minister, priest, rabbi)
  • Social workers
  • Volunteers (if needed, and trained to perform specific tasks)
  • Occupational, physical, and/or speech therapists (if needed)

When is Hospice Care Appropriate?

As with many end-of-life decisions, the choice to enroll in a hospice care program is a deeply personal thing. It depends almost as much on the patient’s philosophy of living and spiritual beliefs as it does on his or her physical condition and the concerns of family members. The following case study shows how one patient decided that hospice care was what she wanted and why it was right for her:

A Case Study of Hospice Care

Lynda was 57 years old when she was diagnosed with liver cancer. In spite of the best medical treatment her doctors could provide, her cancer proved incurable. Although the prospect of dying frightened her, Lynda wanted to receive professional assistance to prepare herself and her family for her death.

She realized that she wanted to be cared for at home by her sister, Sara. The local hospice service made the arrangements so that this would be possible. Hospice staff made sure that Lynda’s family would have the equipment they needed, and trained Sara in how to administer medications to relieve Lynda’s pain.

The hospice program also sent a registered nurse to the house to oversee Lynda’s care, and the nurse consulted with a doctor to make sure Lynda was as comfortable as she could be during her final weeks. In addition, the hospice service sent a personal care attendant to bathe Lynda twice a week, and a social worker and a clergyman to provide spiritual and grief counseling for Lynda and Sara.

Lynda lived the last six weeks of her life at home before she passed away surrounded by Sara and the rest of her family.

  • Empowering adults as they age with reliable information and access to the care they need
  • Enabling individuals who are at high risk of nursing home placement to remain at home
  • Building disease prevention into community living through the use of low-cost, evidence based programs

How Can I Pay for Hospice Care?

Medicare, private health insurance, and Medicaid (in 43 states) cover hospice care for patients who meet eligibility criteria. Private insurance and veterans’ benefits also may cover hospice care under certain conditions. In addition, some hospice programs offer health care services on a sliding fee scale basis for patients with limited income and resources. To get help with your Medicare questions, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY/TDD: 1-877-486-2048 for the speech and hearing impaired) or look on the Internet at www.medicare.gov. Additional information about how to pay for hospice care can be found at the Public Policy Institute of the AARP.

Want to Learn More About Hospice Care? Visit these websites:

Hospice Foundation of America

Hospice Foundation

The Hospice Association of America

Hospice Net

The Eldercare Locator

To find out more about hospice programs where you live, you can contact your local aging information and assistance provider or area agency on aging (AAA). The Eldercare Locator, a public service of the Administration on Aging at 1-800-677-1116 can help connect you to these agencies.

Other Family Counseling and Support Services

Seniors and family caregivers facing end-of-life decisions often must deal with very difficult issues of grief and loss-both before and after their loved one dies. In addition, they may have practical concerns about their legal rights and how to pay the bills now that an important member of the household is gone.

Americans for Better Care of the Dying

Family Caregiver Alliance

Source: Administration on Aging, Build the Future of Long Term Care, www.AoA.gov
Provided by: The Staff at www.RetirementConnection.com
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