In health care, bringing up Hospice is taboo for many families. Many are so focused on living they don’t want to consider what happens at the end of life. This post is intended for educational purposes and debunking myths related to Hospice care!
What is Hospice?
Hospice is a team of healthcare workers who work together to provide specialized comfort care at the end of life. The team usually includes physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains. Each patient in hospice requires various levels of emotional and spiritual support.
When does Hospice intervene?
Hospice care usually occurs when a patient’s disease course does not improve significantly with medical intervention. Or The patient has a poor quality of life while receiving aggressive medical treatments. Patients are usually referred to hospice by family or other physicians.
Two physicians are required to evaluate a patient’s eligibility for hospice. Those who are accepted to hospice are terminally ill. The patients have six months or less to live based on certain standards. This includes patients with organ failure, aggressive cancer, and more.
Does Hospice Kill people?
Absolutely not! The purpose of Hospice is to provide comfort measures to patients who are already terminally ill. They still receive all their prescribed medication. Because physicians cannot always determine the course of illness, some patients can graduate from Hospice. This means Their condition is improving, death is no longer imminent, and they no longer need hospice. A patient is re-evaluated for hospice care every three months.
Does morphine kill people?
Morphine is a narcotic, and almost any drug has the potential to cause death. However, the dosages used in hospice care do not kill patients! Many patients at the end of life are in immense pain. Morphine is used to keep patients comfortable and control fast respiration.
Are people on Hospice giving up?
People receiving hospice care more than likely do not have many options for treatment. When treatment doesn’t work, the next thing we can do is keep patients comfortable until the end.
Patients have rights!
The patient is in control! It’s their life. Hospice care is tailored to the needs of the individual. They can discontinue hospice services to receive advanced treatment at any time.
Conclusion.
The hospice care team works together to minimize pain and agitation for the patient while supporting families. Medicare and other insurance companies cover many resources available to patients. Hospice care focuses on the mind, body, and spirit. It also helps families get through tough times at the end of life.
Feel free to ask more questions in the comments 🙂
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