Hospice is a tremendous support at the end of life, but not enough people are aware of exactly what hospice can do. November is National Home Care and Hospice Month, which means this is a perfect chance to learn as much as possible about hospice and how it can help the people you love to have a better experience at the end of life.
Hospice Care Helps with a Variety of Ailments
Most people hear about hospice care when someone suffering from cancer takes advantage of this service. But hospice is for any patient with a limited remaining lifespan. If your elderly family member’s doctor determines that she has six months or fewer that she is expected to live, she can qualify for hospice care services.
Hospice Is about Comfort and Quality of Life
It’s common for people to think about hospice as a place, but it’s really about the type of care that someone is receiving. Hospice focuses on your senior’s quality of life and improving that as much as possible. There’s a priority placed on comfort and ensuring that your family member is supported in a variety of different ways. Your senior’s hospice team works to put together a care plan that addresses as many of her symptoms and needs as possible.
Hospice Consists of a Team that Includes Your Senior’s Doctors
Your elderly family member might initially avoid talk of hospice care because she doesn’t want to leave her doctors and other care providers. The good news is that she does not have to do that at all. Hospice care providers work alongside your senior’s doctors and other medical staff involved in her care. They become a team that is focused on helping her as much as possible.
Your Senior Can Recertify for Hospice Services
It’s also important to know that you don’t have to time everything perfectly when it comes to helping your senior sign up for hospice care. Your elderly family member does need to initially certify for hospice care with information from her doctor. But if she extends her life by making that choice, she is able to recertify for hospice again, which can allow her to continue on with her plan.
More People Are Receiving Hospice Care
According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 1.55 million more Medicare patients received hospice care in 2018 than in the previous year. These numbers are expected to continue increasing, hopefully as more people become aware of what hospice elder care can do to make end-of-life issues easier to manage. Talking to your family member’s doctors and learning more about hospice helps you all to make informed decisions about what to do next.
The key to helping your senior to have the experience that she wants to have at the end of her life is to talk with her about those options and what her wishes are. These are difficult discussions, but they’re imperative to ensure that you know how you can help her to have the solutions that she wants in place.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Hospice Care in Bloomington, MN please contact the caring staff at Great Oak Senior Care, Inc. today. (952) 767-4925
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