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 WHEN TO CONSIDER HOSPICE
When treatment shifts from curing the illness to providing comfort, it is time to consider hospice. Hospice serves patients whose terminal illnesses result in a life expectancy of six months or less, as determined by the patient’s physician.
By contacting hospice early in the diagnosis, the patient and family reserve time to understand their options and choose the path that will have the most positive impact on quality of life. The best time to learn about hospice is before you need it. SEEING THE WHOLE PICTURE It is so important to find someone who understands that the whole picture of hospice care is not just what kind of insurance you have and checking in on a family only as much as Medicare guidelines specify; it is about caring for the patient and their family. KNOW WHAT TO ASK A good hospice takes care of problems and situations face to face, not over the phone. If a family member is taking the time to call a hospice, that means they need help. Maybe they have a lot of questions, or they just need to talk to someone, but they need help. We are not a bank. We don't close. We handle admissions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a family needs us on holidays and weekends, we are there. DEMAND CONSISTENCY Consequently, patients should not have to cope with an ever-changing cast of caregivers. At Christian Healthcare you have the same team all the way through the process. With the same team visiting a patient every day, they are familiar with that person and they know what that person is experiencing on a daily basis. FIND SOMEONE WITH WHOM YOU ARE COMFORTABLE We treat people with everything from cancer to Parkinson's, Dementia and Alzheimer's. Regardless of the patient's diagnosis and financial means, a hospice provider's role is to make the patient completely comfortable, and give the family time to say goodbye. Our job is to be very attentive, and provide for whatever need the patient and their family has.
HOSPICE PHILOSOPHY “Every person deserves to live out his or her life with respect and dignity, alert and free of pain, in an environment that promotes quality of life.”
HOSPICE IS HOME CARE FOR PATIENT AND FAMILY For years, most terminally-ill people died, alone and in pain, in hospitals. Hospice allows patients to spend their last days fully, at home with family and friends.
A family member or friend serves as the “primary caregiver” working closely with the hospice team to provide the patient’s daily needs. In extended care facilities, hospice teams create a partnership with the staff and family, just as they would with the family in the home.
Hospice understands that serious illness impacts not only the patient, but family and friends as well. Hospice attends to physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of patients as well as family and caregivers.
INDIVIDUAL CONTROL A key factor in hospice care is individual control – patients maintain control over their end-of-life choices. After a thorough review of all the care options with his or her family physician and hospice team, the patient makes the decision to choose hospice. OTHER HOSPICE SERVICES In addition to home care, hospice provides short-term inpatient hospital care when necessary to manage the symptoms of the illness or to give the family a brief rest from the responsibilities of care giving. During these times, the hospice team remains involved and helps the patient transition back to the home environment as quickly as possible.
Hospice specializes in palliative, or "comfort" care to assure the patient receives state-of-the-art pain control and symptom management. |
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