Hospice Care Doesn’t Mean You Are Giving Up


September 6, 2014 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ Hospice


There are a lot of misconceptions about hospice care.

 

The way we view elderly hospice care as a society is closely related to our perception of death. How often have we watched a film centered around a tragic event; a much loved man or woman is in emergency care and the spouse, child or mother is begging the unconscious patient, “Don’t give up!” “Hang on, please!” “Don’t go!” We, as the audience, root with them, silently willing the patient to bring him/herself back to good health.

 

Let’s talk about this for a moment. Do we really believe that if a patient has will power and wants to live, that he or she can pull through, no matter the odds? Once a terminal illness sets in, the odds are so far stacked against the patient that, although medical treatments and their own inner strength can help prolong life temporarily, the physical body eventually succumbs.

 

Loving Life, It’s Only Natural

Wanting to preserve life is natural, whether it’s your own, or that of someone you love. However, when it becomes clear that the time has come, death is also natural. It’s simply the end of the life cycle. Choosing end-of-life care doesn’t mean you are giving up on Mom, or that she has given up on herself. What it means is that she has chosen to be fair to herself and receive comforting, patient-centered care that will help give her peace during this inevitable time–her final months.

 

What is Hospice?

Hospice is holistic end-of-life care that focuses on improving patient (and family) quality of life during its end phase. This means helping to ease whatever symptoms and stresses she’s facing –whether mental, emotional, spiritual, physical or social– before the eventuality of death. This form of palliative care for the last months of a terminal illness helps you and Mom to focus on giving meaning to your remaining time together, instead of riding the emotional rollercoaster of denial.

 

When Will We Know to Start Hospice?

Each terminal illness has a predictable course, whether it is cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, lung disease, etc. Medicines may attempt to reverse or improve incurable diseases in temporary ways, and may even be effective for years. However, in the end, once the disease has progressed to certain levels, attempts to prolong life become needlessly expensive and may even cause the patient unnecessary discomfort. When a terminal illness has run its course,doctors will advise you there is nothing left to be done to keep Mom alive. They will also tell you how many months she has left to live, and may advise you that the best course of action is to make her as comfortable as possible. This is where hospice care steps in.

 

Hospice care can be performed at home or in a hospital or elderly care facility. It is covered 80-100% by Medicare and most private insurance policies. To understand more about hospice care visit with a hospice company in your area.

 

 

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