Hospice care is focused on making the patient as comfortable as possible. Hospice requires that you give up medication. This includes spiritual, emotional and physical care. Hospice care focuses on the whole wellbeing of the patient. Hospice is so much more than just doling out medicine. Hospice is only useful for administering pain medication. Hospices are staffed by highly trained medical professionals who are trained to handle crises and around-the-clock needs. The quality of care received while on hospice is just as high as being in a hospital setting the focus of the care is just different. Hospice care is not as good as curative treatment. Care plans are individualized to what the patient wants and needs.
Hospice care is the exact opposite of this myth! Hospice care centers manage the wants and needs of the patient. Hospice means the patient no longer has a say in their care. It is not used in dosages large enough for patients to hasten death. Morphine may be used in small doses to help patients feel more comfortable. Hospice administers morphine to speed up death. Spiritual and emotional support is offered for the patient’s loved ones as well as the patient. Hospice care is very much a comprehensive service for both the ill person and their family members. However, if the patient lives longer, hospice care can absolutely continue. Hospice only lasts for six months.Ī patient is referred to hospice care when a doctor’s prognosis is six months or less. Hospice often provides such comfort and support that many outlive their expected prognosis. Hospice care can begin when the patient’s physician gives a prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows the expected course.
Hospice is only used in the very last weeks of life. In fact, those who employ hospice care may live longer than those who choose not to use hospice services. But the truth is, hospice care does not speed up death. Obviously, many hospice patients do pass away within hospice care, and this likely explains how this misconception came to be.
Hospice doctors, nurses, and other professionals are able to recognize what stage of the end-of-life process the patient is at, and adjust their care accordingly. While pain often is part of the dying process, hospice care professionals are trained to help manage pain at the end-of-life. An immense amount of pain is just a part of dying. Hospice is available for any patient coping with the end-stage of any chronic disease, including kidney failure and Alzheimer’s, and virtually any other life-limiting condition. Most choose to turn the care over to the hospice Medical Director and coordinate with them. The patient’s current primary care physician may choose to remain their doctor while on hospice care. If you choose hospice, you can’t keep seeing your primary care physician.Īnother common hospice myth is that you can no longer see your PCP (primary care physician). This includes at home, in a senior living facility, or in-patient if needed. Hospice is a philosophy of care and can be received wherever the patient and their loved ones prefer. Instead, hospice services are there to provide comfort and improve quality of life and to help carry out the wishes of the patient. It is important to find one that offers the right care. Hospice programs must follow a set of rules and regulations determined by the state, however support services may differ.
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