Start the Year With Answers to Your FAQ’s About Hospice
Some may be starting the year seeking answers to questions about hospice and wondering whether hospice care is the right decision for a loved one. Hospice providers can help ease the feeling of being overwhelmed by bringing understanding to the following commonly asked questions:
Is Hospice for people expected to live more than a few days?
Hospice can be made available once a physician determines that the life expectancy is six months or less if the disease is allowed to run its normal course. Should a person on hospice care live beyond six months, hospice services will continue as long as the hospice physician verifies that life expectancy does not exceed six months.
Is Hospice just for people with cancer?
No. It’s not limited to cancer. Persons with heart, lung, or kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or other life-limiting illnesses may qualify for hospice services.
Does hospice care hasten death?
The goal of hospice care is to neither prolong life nor hasten death. It is intended to enhance quality of life by providing pain relief and comfort as the illness runs its normal course.
Does hospice require the patient to change doctors?
No. The hospice team works closely with the patient’s physician to provide end-of-life care that enhances the patient’s quality of life.
Who can refer a patient to Hospice?
Physicians, hospital discharge planners, clergy, friends, and family members can all suggest or recommend hospice care. Patients may even request it for themselves. Referrals to hospice do require a physician’s order. An individual’s primary care physician or a hospice admissions department can help start the process.
When is it time for hospice?
A patient becomes eligible for hospice care when curative options have been exhausted, or the risks of treatment outweigh the gains, and when the patient’s attending physician and a hospice physician certify the patient’s life expectancy to be six months or less if the illness runs its normal course. If, at any time, the focus should become curative once more, the patient may choose to withdraw from the program.
What signs indicate that a patient may be ready for hospice care?
Several factors could indicate that a person may be ready for hospice care including if the patient is diagnosed with a terminal illness, treatment to cure the disease is no longer effective or causing uncomfortable or life-threatening side effects, there is an increase in pain, nausea, shortness of breath or other symptoms, hospital emergency room visits are becoming more frequent and caregiving needs are more complex.
Early referrals to hospice help ensure the best quality of life possible for those in their final days. Call today.For more information about Hospice of Holland programs and services, to make a referral, or for answers to your questions about hospice care, please call 616.396.2972. View www.hollandhospice.org and hear from others why care from Hospice of Holland made a difference for their loved one.
