Q: Is Hospice A Place Where People Go To?
A: This is a common misconception. Hospice is a service and not a location or place. This also means that a hospice service can be in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or your own residence.

For most patients, the primary option is to be serviced from home. It’s also good to know that a hospice service can also provide a short-term in-patient care as a means of controlling the symptoms.

Q: What Does A Hospice Service Provide?
A: A hospice provides multiple professional services. A hospice service is mandated by law to provide after-hours and routine nursing visits. This means that there will be a nurse that will regularly visit the patient. The nurse will often asses for any changes and arrange the needed medical supplies and medicines.

A hospice service will often provide emergency oxygen and medications in advance just in case a crisis happens.

A hospice service is also there to answer all your questions, and even provide a counselor to help the patient prepare for what’s to come.

In the past, you will need to go to a doctor or hospital to obtain medical attention. With hospice care, the service comes to the patient. Even if it’s a Saturday or Sunday, medical help is just one phone call away.

Other services of a hospice may include counseling, assistance in bathing, physician visit and a multitude of therapies.

Q: When Can A Patient Qualify For A Hospice Care?
A: It is unfortunate that most patients opt for hospice care during the final weeks or days of life. It’s such a waste that a patient can qualify for hospice care as much as six months prior.

Opting for a hospice care earlier can immensely reduce the stress of the patient and for the friends and families. A hospice care can guarantee an improved quality of life for the patient so everyone can focus on the most important things, like saying “thank you” and “farewell.”

Q: Don’t Most People Die At Home?
A: Most people want to die at home. Unfortunately, approximately 80% of Americans die in a hospital setting. Fewer than 25% have the privilege of dying at the comforts of the house.

With hospice care, almost all patients get to peacefully rest in a home setting and in the presence of friends and families. Patients will also get the utmost medical and health care while preparing for the final event.

A hospice patient dying in a hospital rarely happens.

Q: Are Hospice Patients Legally Restricted To Dying In A Hospital?
A: No. A patient can die in a hospital setting if he or she wishes it.

Q: Will Opting For A Hospice Care Make A Patient Die Sooner?
A: The short answer is a big NO. However, concerns like these are legitimate and need to be addressed.

Most of these concerns are based on some pain medications, like morphine, causing to shorten one’s life. This is untrue, and according to studies, morphine only eases the pain if used correctly and in the right doses. It doesn’t shorten the life of a terminally ill patient.

Another big misconception is telling someone that he or she is terminally ill will result in the patient dying sooner. It’s the reason why friends and family don’t want to mention “hospice care” as it may cause the loved one to “give up” and die sooner.

The truth is, most severely ill patients know that the final event is coming. Hiding behind a wall of silence will only rob both parties to say their warm goodbyes and make plans for the future.

Keep in mind that dying can be a lonely process. Not being open about it will only bring more loneliness to the patient.

Q: Do Hospice Patients Ever Improve?
A: A hospice care can only accept patients that are terminally ill and have no desire of being cured. However, there are rare instances that patients do get cured. In time, such patients may be discharged from the hospice care.

Q: Does A Hospice Service Mean Giving Up On Treatments That Is Benefiting The Patient?
A: The patient does not need to give up medications or treatments that are primarily aimed at improving the quality of life. If ever a patient finds a new treatment that may cure the patient’s illness, the patient can sign-off from hospice care and return at a later time.

Q: Is Hospice Care Expensive?
A: The cost of hospice care is covered by most insurance. For patients under Medicaid and Medicare, ALL of the hospice service costs are shouldered. Most private insurance model their service from government programs, which means that most will also cover all the cost of a hospice care.

For more information about hospice service, feel free to contact us.