Hospice

We wish all seniors and caregivers a "Spirit of Life"
full of respect, dignity, love, and joy.

patient_in_hospital_bed

*HOSPICE*

History:

 The word "hospice" comes from the Latin "hospitium" meaning guesthouse. It was originally described a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages.

During the 1960's, Dr. Cicely Saunders began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher's Hospice near London.

St. Christopher's organized a team approach to professional care giving, and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying.

The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974. Today more than 3,000 hospice programs across the country offer comprehensive hospice care. Most insurance plans in the US include hospice as a covered benefit.

FACTS:

Hospice care designed to give supportive care to people in the final phase of a terminal illness and focus on comfort and quality of life, rather than cure.

 The goal is to enable patients to be comfortable and free of pain, so that they live each day as fully as possible.

Aggressive methods of pain control may be used.

Hospice programs generally are home-based, but they sometimes provide services away from home — in freestanding facilities, in nursing homes, or within hospitals.

The philosophy of hospice is to provide support for the patient's emotional, social, and spiritual needs as well as medical symptoms as part of treating the whole person.

Hospice programs generally use a multidisciplinary team approach, including the services of a nurse, doctor, social worker and clergy in providing care.

Additional services provided include drugs to control pain and manage other symptoms; physical, occupational, and speech therapy; medical supplies and equipment; medical social services; dietary and other counseling; continuous home care at times of crisis; and bereavement services.

Although hospice care does not aim for cure of the terminal illness, it does treat potentially curable conditions such as pneumonia and bladder infections, with brief hospital stays if necessary.

Hospice programs also offer respite care workers, people who are usually trained volunteers, who take over the patient's care so that the family or other primary caregivers can leave the house for a few hours.

Volunteer care is part of hospice philosophy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice

1. When should a decision about entering a hospice program be made and who should make it?

  • by law, the patient
  •  most hospices accept patients who have a life-expectancy of six months or less and who are referred by their personal physician.

2. Should I wait for our physician to raise the possibility of hospice, or should I raise it first?

  • Not necessarily, the patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at any time with their physician, other health care professionals, clergy or friends.

3. Is all hospice care the same? 

  •   No.  Many communities have more than one hospice. 

4. Can a hospice patient who shows signs of recovery be returned to regular medical treatment?

  • Absolutely. If the condition improves, and the disease seems to be in remission, patients can be discharged from hospice and return to aggressive therapy or go on about their daily life.

5. What does the hospice admission process involve?

  • Contacting the patient’s physician to make sure he or she agrees that hospice care is appropriate for this patient at this time. (Most hospices have medical staff available to help patients who have no physician.)
  • The patient will be asked to sign consent and insurance forms. These are similar to the forms patients sign when they enter a hospital.
  • The form Medicare patients sign also tells how electing the Medicare hospice benefit affects other Medicare coverage.

6. Is there any special equipment or changes I have to make in my home before hospice begins?   

  • Your hospice provider will assess your needs, recommend any equipment, and help make arrangements to obtain any necessary equipment.
  • In general, hospice will assist in any way it can to make home care as convenient, clean and safe as possible.
  • Medicare requires certified hospices provide a basic level of care .
  • Quantity and quality of all services can vary significantly from one hospice to another. 

Find the best hospice for your needs. Ask your doctor, healthcare professionals, clergy, social workers or friends who have received care for a family member. 

What Questions Should I Ask About Hospice Care?

  • Accreditation:
  • CertificationLicense:
  • References:
  • Admissions:
  • Plan of Care
  • Family caregiver:
  • Preliminary evaluation:
  • Personnel:
  • Questions:
  • Costs:
  • Telephone response:
  • Services:
  • Inpatient care:
  • Patient’s rights and responsibilities:

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