Hospice is a Tough Topic…
by Lisa Dempsey, volunteer coordinator, Prime Home Care LLC/Compassionate Care Hospice
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Don’t skip over this information because hospice is a tough topic or it’s not relevant to you or loved one. Often times, we tend to shy away from things we don’t understand or that aren’t relevant at the time. Hospice might something you or a loved one may need in the future, so it’s smart to learn a little about it now. This article is meant to raise your awareness of hospice care.
Some people (maybe you?) think hospice care is just about dying and that hospice is “a place you go” to receive the care. This is not entirely true! Hospice goes to wherever the patient calls home—private residence, assisted living facility, retirement home, etc.
Hospice is a philosophy of care for those with a terminal illness who have decided to stop treatment to fight their disease. They have decided to live the time remaining on their terms and as pain free as possible. The care team consists of the patient’s doctor, a medical director, nurse manager, social worker, bath aide, volunteer, and chaplain. Together, they come up with a care plan. The patient and the patient’s family are always informed of any changes and recommendations to the plan.
Given that, here are nine facts to know about hospice:
1) Hospice is not a place. It’s a philosophy of care where first and foremost, pain is managed so the patient and family can focus on quality of life during the time that is left. Hospice care goes to wherever the patient lives—private residence, assisted living facility, nursing home, etc.
2) Hospice is paid for by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance plans. Cost should never prevent a person from accessing hospice care.
3) Hospice serves anyone with a terminal illness, regardless of age or type of illness.
4) Hospice serves people of all backgrounds and traditions. The core values of hospice extends to everyone and those values include allowing the patient to be with family; allowing caregivers to provide spiritual and emotional support; and allowing the treatment of pain.
5) The 2017 Nebraska End-of-Life survey (by the Nebraska chapter of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization -- NHPCO) reported that 76.9 percent of the 1,100 respondents trust their primary care physician with information about end-of-life/hospice issues.
6) Hospice patients can receive care for six months at a time. Each six-month time period for hospice needs to be certified by a physician in order to continue to receive hospice care.
7) Hospice care has a medical director who oversees the care provided, however, the patient may and should keep their primary care physician involved while receiving hospice care.
8) The hospice care team not only includes doctors, nurses, aides, social workers and chaplains, but the team also includes a volunteer who can make companionship visits and assist the family with any needs. This role is one of the unsung benefits of hospice care.
9) Many people know hospice to be 11th hour care and therefore, patients are referred to hospice with weeks or days left to live. Hospice provides the greatest value to everyone involved when it’s brought in sooner rather than later.
If there’s one thing to remember about hospice, it’s that hospice is a philosophy of care that brings a great deal of comfort and peace to both the patient and family. Sometimes patients rally once they receive hospice care—it’s most likely because hospice is the expert in pain management and comfort care and everyone begins to relax. With hospice, everyone has more knowledge about what happens as death approaches. Knowledge is everything.