Mary is 80 years old and lives with her daughter and son-in-law. She has dementia with increasing confusion and difficulty caring for herself and has been receiving hospice care for the past five months. She gets regular visits from her Registered Nurse Case Manager, a social worker who provides emotional support, and a home health aide who assists with personal care. Once an avid reader, her eyesight is failing, but she does enjoy it when her hospice volunteer reads to her.
Having a serious illness is not your choice, but how you live is. Hospice is about living life to its fullest. It’s about receiving comfort and care, even when a cure is no longer possible. It’s about surrounding yourself and your loved ones with medical, emotional and spiritual support.
It’s about how you live. If you are experiencing failing health and a life-altering diagnosis you may qualify for the hospice benefit from Medicare. Hospice care is not giving up. In fact, those receiving hospice services live, with an improved quality of life, on average about one month longer than those who do not receive hospice care.
You do not have to be dying or have a DNR order to receive hospice care. For those who qualify, hospice is provided without cost to you through your Medicare benefit. Some health insurance may also cover hospice costs.
It’s about you. Patients and their families remain in control and direct their care with the aid of hospice team which includes your physician, nurses, social workers, certified home health aides, spiritual care and supportive volunteers. This team will address your symptoms with a special emphasis on pain management and quality of life.
What is hospice care?
Hospice is a special type of palliative care provided to those with a prognosis of six months or less to live and begins after curative treatments stop and the illness is considered terminal. Hospice services are covered 100% by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurances.
The following are indicators that may signify that hospice care is an appropriate healthcare choice.
· Unintentional weight loss
· Frequent visits to the hospital
· Recurrent infections
· Increasing shortness of breath
· Difficulty walking
· Difficulty managing pain
· Increasing need for help with bathing, dressing, food preparation
· Swelling of legs or arms
· No longer eligible for treatments (chemo, radiation, etc.)
· Frequent medication changes
At Angelic we recognize that you are not your diagnosis. Our team of healthcare professionals customize a care plan to meet your individual medical, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs and provide you with the most improved quality of life possible. Our services are provided to you wherever you call home. You do not have to be in a facility to receive hospice care.
Why Hospice Now? Patients receive the best results the earlier comfort care starts. The hospice team anticipates and addresses patient and family needs before they become problematic. Our services give patients the opportunity to make the most of their life, regardless of diagnosis.
Please don't wait until days or hours before anticipated death. The best care for the patient and the family is to have hospice care when a cure is not feasible. Hospice guides the patient and family through the transition as the disease or illness progresses. Caregivers of hospice patients have told us that their only regret was that they did not get their loved-one the care and support of hospice sooner.
What hospice provides
· Medications related to your diagnosis.
· Basic equipment such as hospital bed, oxygen, walkers are all covered under the hospice benefit.
· Personal care supplies such as diapers and pull-up are also provided.
· Short-term respite care is available to provide caregiver family members a relief.
Various therapeutic treatments such as physical, massage and music therapies depending on your diagnosis.
Family and Caregiver Support
As a family member it is difficult to watch a loved one in declining health, and stressful to care for them around-the-clock. It becomes more challenging as the illness progresses, but with Angelic we are "by your side" as a safety net to support you. Our service also addresses the bereavement needs of family members for 13 months after the passing of the patient. Families value this support, and we are honored to help them through this most difficult first year.
To learn if you or a loved one could benefit from hospice care services call an office near you, or email us at info@angelichospice.net for a consultation.
Kommentare