This year thousands of people will suffer from a life threatening or terminal illness and not receive the help available to them through a hospice program. There are many reasons for this. One primary reason is that families do not want to bring up the word “hospice” to their loved ones because they feel it will dash their hope of recovery. Many families are in denial that their loved ones will die and urge the patient to continue drugs that make them so sick, their quality of life is miserable. Hospice is a service that can provide not only care for the patient but also emotional and spiritual support to everyone involved. It’s available to patients of any age, race, religion or illness. Hospice is covered under Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans. They focus on caring, not curing. Most of their patients have been diagnosed with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Hospice is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Hospice is a family-centered approach that includes nurses, social workers, counselors and trained volunteers. They focus on the dying patient’s physical, psychological, and spiritual needs. The goal is to help keep the patient as pain-free as possible, with family near by until death. They will provide needed medications, medical supplies and equipment. They will coach the family on how to care for their loved one. They will deliver special services like speech and physical therapy when needed. The majority of hospice patients are cared for in their own home. Hospice does not make all the decisions for your loved one. Typically, a family member serves as the primary caregiver and, when appropriate, make decisions for the terminally ill individual.
Counseling services for the patient and loved ones are an important part of hospice. After the patient’s death, bereavement support is offered to families. These services can take place in a variety of forms, including telephone calls, visits, written materials about grieving, and support groups. Individual counseling is also offered or they may make a referral to a community resource.
Medicare will pay hospice for all your hospice care. You will pay no more than $5.00 for each prescription drug and other similar products. To receive all the free service hospice provides, the patient’s doctor will need to set up a referral. A simple phone call to your doctor is all it takes to get the program started. You may start or stop hospice an any time.
Investigating the hospice program is something every terminally ill patient should look into. If you feel you are not ready to make that step, interviewing a hospice representative can at least give you insight on what they can do for your family and help you make better decisions regarding your loved one’s future. By having educated decisions made in advance, uncomfortable situations can be avoided.
