Hospice 101: What Services Are Provided By Hospice?

Let's review what we have learned in the last two posts:

1- Hospice is Nursing Care provided for the terminally ill as certified by a physician. It is intended to keep the patient comfortable while controlling pain as well as providing social services and spiritual support.

2- A person qualifies for Hospice when a doctor has certified that, given the natural progress of the admitting diagnosis, the patient has a life expectancy of approximately 6 months.  Admitting diagnoses can include terminal diseases as well as declines in health in the aged.

   Our team of professionals are trained in end-of-life care and work together with the client, their family and their physician to meet the medical, physical and emotional needs of the terminally ill patient and their loved ones. 

   Hospice Care is not 24 hour care but it does provide nursing, aides, social services, volunteers and spiritual support for patients through the end-of-life process as well as for their families for a year after the loss of their loved one. 

   Hospice care can take place in your home, a nursing facility or even a hospital.

   I have personally witnessed the positive change that can  take place in a situation where Hospice care is needed.  Caregivers are educated and supported in providing the cares and comfort for their loved ones.  

Our Nurses  provide skilled services for pain management and comfort.  They let the family be as involved as possible in making the decisions about the care for their loved one.  

Aides can provide assistance with bathing, grooming and even some light housekeeping. 

A Social Worker will visit with the patient and the family to alleviate any concerns or questions and can guide you to valuable resources and programs that could also be of assistance.  

A Chaplain is a non-denominational, spiritual component of our team.  He is able to provide the spiritual support that is so often needed at this time of life.  

Our team also offers Volunteers for various patient needs.  

All of these services are available but are not required to be used by the patient and family.

Not sure if you or your loved one would qualify for Hospice Care?  Call our caring staff and let us help you through the process and answer any of your questions, 801-225-3377.

Hospice 101: What Is Hospice?

Hospice is one of those topics that seems to have a negative connotation for many and I believe it is due, in great part, to lack of information about Hospice.  I hope to help clear this up with the next few blog posts.

A few years back I was talking to a family about Hospice services for their loved one.  The family was very distraught about the situation and very apprehensive about starting Hospice services.  As the conversation went on I learned that their understanding of Hospice was that we actually ended the life of the individual.  I can clearly see why they were hesitant and I can assure you that  Hospice, in NO uncertain terms, assists ANYONE in ending their life.

 Hospice in the United States has grown from a volunteer-led movement to improve care for people dying alone, isolated, or in hospitals, to a significant part of the health care system. In 2008, 1.45 million individuals and their families received hospice care. Hospice is the only Medicare benefit that includes pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, twenty-four hour/seven day a week access to care and support for loved ones following a death. Hospice care is also covered by Medicaid and most private insurance plans. Most hospice care is delivered at home. Hospice care is also available to people in home-like hospice residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, veterans' facilities, hospitals, and prisons.

Hospice Care is a service intended to care for those who have a terminal illness and are no longer seeking curative treatments.  A doctor must first certify that, with the natural process of the illness, the patient is probably looking at a 6 month or less life expectancy. Some patients will surpass this time frame, some will pass away before the 6 months.  The 6 month life expectancy is just an estimation by the Doctor.  I have seen many patients live well beyond a year after qualifying for hospice care.

I find that many families call for Hospice services when their loved one is suffering great pain and is in the last days of their life. I encourage everyone to consider the difference Hospice can make even before this situation. To keep someone out of pain, not drugged and "out of it", but truly comfortable, is one of the biggest blessings of hospice. When pain is decreased, "living" is increased. When a terminal patient has pain relief, the quality of life is much better.  Hospice also serves the family of the patient providing social services and spiritual support during, and after, losing their loved one.  

So, what is Hospice? Nursing care intended to provide comfort, dignity, and  improved quality of life for terminally ill patients as well as social services and spiritual support for the patient and their family.  In short, we make the most of every minute that is left.

I would love to hear your experiences with  or questions on Hospice services.

How Do I Know If My Loved One Qualifies for Hospice?

 For some years, society has placed a stigma on the word "Hospice". Some believe Hospice is a place you go to die. Others think that "Hospice" starts in the last few days of life. Some people think Hospice care is too expensive. And, yes, there are a few who thought Hospice had a magic pill that will end life for their loved one.

Let's address each of these beliefs individually so that YOU will have a clear and correct knowledge of Hospice.

1. Hospice is a philosophy of care for end-of-life.  The patient is at the center of this care.  Their wishes are of the utmost importance.  The Hospice team of a nurse, aides, chaplain and social worker, with the patient and their family, make a plan of care to meet the needs of the patient and keep them as comfortable as possible during this time.  If the patient requests no medications, the Freedom Home Hospice team is able to alleviate pain with our Namaste Care program using touch, taste, smell, sight and sound.  It is a unique program that very few agencies utilize but we have found that it can truly make a difference for the patient and their family.

2. Hospice care can start when a Doctor has stated that given the admitting diagnosis and its natural progression, there is approximately 6 months left in life for the individual.  Now, nobody can pinpoint the day and time someone will pass away from this life, and I have seen plenty of patients live well pass two years and still qualify to receive Hospice benefits. The Doctor is only giving an estimation and that is the main qualification to qualify for the care.
   Think about being able to have that extra help with your loved one and their personal cares, medications and pain control.  I like to think that the longer a team is able to serve a client, the more comfortable the client will be with those caregivers at the end-of-life.
   Yes, many times we begin care in the last few days but the Hospice Benefit through Medicare or Private insurances is intended to provide that care in the last six months of life.

3. Hospices care is paid for, 100% through the Medicare Benefit or through private insurance.  With the Medicare Benefit, this is something that those who have paid into Social Security have paid for throughout their lifetime of employment.  It is there for every individual, no matter your age.  For those younger terminally ill patients who perhaps have never reached an employment age, Hospice can be paid for through private insurance.  Either way, please call us to let us help you understand what benefits are available at 801-225-3377.

4. I have had a few people ask me about the "Magic Pill" that Hospice has to help their mom or dad on their way out of their life. I can assure you, there is no magic pill! Being married to a Police Officer, I am pretty certain that administering anything that would end someone's life is illegal and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  With that said, the Hospice Team's goal is to keep your loved one comfortable and in as little pain as possible.  Think of it like this.....Our team gets to become a valuable part of someone's life, at the end of their life.  They get to make their life as comfortable and pain free as possible.  They will be an advocate for the patient and their loved ones, helping them all make and understand decisions during this most precious time.  The team truly loves their work and realize that the one they are caring for will pass away.  This will end their job, and their paycheck, for their care. Why would any Hospice team want to see that end?

In conclusion, Hospice is all about living every minute of your life to the fullest.  Our team is highly trained and specialize in caring for terminally ill patients.  It is a bittersweet situation to be in, but we choose to be there.  We choose because of our love of and for people.

Understanding Hospice

Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.

Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death. Hospice staff and volunteers offer a specialized knowledge of medical care, including pain management.

The goal of hospice care is to improve the quality of a patient's last days by offering comfort and dignity.

Hospice care is provided by a team-oriented group of specially trained professionals, volunteers and family members.

Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient's pain and discomfort.

Hospice deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease on the patient and the patient's family and friends.

Hospice offers a variety of bereavement and counseling services to families before and after a patient's death.

History of Hospice
The word "hospice" stems from the Latin word "hospitium" meaning guesthouse. It was originally used to describe a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages. During the 1960's, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher's Hospice near London. St. Christopher's organized a team approach to professional caregiving, and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying. The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974.

Today there are more than 4,700 hospice programs in the United States.* Hospice programs cared for 965,000 people enrolled in Medicare in 2006,** and nearly 1.4 million people in the United States in 2007*.

Hospice is not a place but a concept of care. Eighty percent of hospice care is provided in the patient's home, family member's home and in nursing homes. Inpatient hospice facilities are sometimes available to assist with caregiving.

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* Figure from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
** Figure from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).