Debunking the Hospice Myth A misconception about hospice care is that care is only for the last days of life. The truth is that hospice patients can receive care for six months or more, depending on the course of their particular illness. Hospice is not only used for a patient's last days. Hospice care is suitable for patients facing life-limiting diseases or conditions.
Its approach is holistic; it addresses the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the patient. The short answer to this question is no. To qualify for hospice care, your loved one must have received a life expectancy forecast of six months or less from their doctor. This does not mean that they will die at that time.
It just means the doctor thinks they might die within six months. However, what many people don't realize about hospice is that entering hospice isn't about dying. Rather, it's about living and living your best, for as long as you're gone. Hospice addresses all the symptoms of a disease, but it focuses especially on managing pain and discomfort.
Ultimately, however, an audience that “has no idea about hospice” is the most serious threat to the long-term survival of hospice in the United States. For most patients, hospice care is covered through the medical hospice benefit or other health insurance plan. It means that you understand the doctor's recommendations and are ready to accept the support and comfort that hospice can offer for both you and your loved one. They wonder if hospice is only for the dying or whether it is appropriate to place patients with other types of medical problems in a hospice.
The hospice nurses and other medical professionals at Suncrest Home Health and Hospice of Austin want to explain what hospice is, who qualifies for hospice, and what happens when patients enter hospice. Hospice care brings together a team of people with special abilities, including nurses, doctors, social workers, spiritual counselors, and trained volunteers. These patients are actively dying, and their families are often surprised to learn that their loved one was eligible for all the care and support that the Medicare hospice benefit provides much earlier. If you are caring for a sick or elderly family member and your doctor has mentioned hospice care in Las Vegas as a possible option, you may feel a little overwhelmed when you think about it.
In some cases, patients in palliative care may live longer because their quality of life has improved. To learn about hospice, it's helpful to start by debunking common myths that themselves create barriers to hospice. As soon as they are admitted to hospice care, the patient will begin to receive visits at their place of residence from a full team of hospice professionals, including a nurse, a hospice aide, a social worker, a chaplain, and volunteers. This improved quality of life that a patient receives while in palliative care allows them to spend more time with the people they love and gives the patient and their family the opportunity to express all the things they need to say as they spend this time together.
Whether your loved one lives a month or a year or more, hospice does its part to ensure they are as comfortable as possible to achieve the best possible quality of life.
