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8 Things Seniors Should Know About Hospice Care
Considering Hospice Care for Yourself or a Loved One? Here’s What You Need to Know.
Discussing plans for the terminally ill is never easy. Many families postpone or refrain from making plans, which can lead to financial troubles and heavy stress on both the part of the family and the patient.
Hospice provides a way for families to care for the terminally ill in a way that’s comfortable for the patient and convenient for the family. Unfortunately, many don’t know about the benefits of hospice, what it is, and if they qualify. According to Joe Rotella, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine not everyone eligible for hospice take advantage of it, “What we see is patients either avoid hospice or call it very late.”
One common reason for avoiding hospice care is hope. Patients and/or family members know that hospice means giving up on attempts to cure the patient, “A lot of times, doctors are reluctant to give up,” says Ellen Windham, author of “Hospice: The Last Responder.”
When it is time to make a decision about hospice care you should know the facts. Here are 8 things seniors and family members should know about hospice care.
1. Hospice provides at-home care. While some hospice organizations operate medical facilities, hospice traditional refers to care provided at-home where the patient can be made to feel comfortable. “A team of professionals provide emotional and spiritual support to a patient and family anywhere,” according to Richard Fife, president of the Foundation for End-of-Life Care. Not many people like hospitals. If faced with a terminal illness, many prefer to be at home surrounded by familiar things and people.
2. Hospice is covered by Medicare. Medicare covers almost all costs associated with hospice care. Coverage includes everything from doctor visits and at-home nurses to social workers. Patients are often responsible for a co-payment of about $5 for prescriptions and 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for respite care if needed.
3. Your life expectancy must be 6 months or less. In order for Medicare to cover costs associated with hospice care, your doctor must certify the life expectancy as being less than six months. However, if you live longer the costs are still covered. Estimating a person’s lifespan is an imperfect process, there’s no way to know for sure, “It’s not always easy to predict for a patient with Alzheimer’s for example, when they’ve entered their last six months of life,” Rotella says. That is why it is possible for a person to remain in hospice care after six months have passed.
4. It’s not just for cancer patients. Hospice care extends to people with a wide range of illnesses. You’re not required to have a certain type of illness like terminal cancer in order to qualify.
5. Hospice is more than just medical care. Hospice covers more than just at-home doctor’s visits or a nurse. Hospice support includes prescription pick up, on-call nurses, arrangement of respite care, and other family needs. With hospice care patients and family get more quality time together.
6. Pick the hospice of your choice. There are plenty of options when it comes to hospice care. There are thousands of providers across the country that provide hospice care. In 2014, there were 4,000 hospice care agencies in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You are allowed to interview and screen hospice providers before making a decision. Make sure your provider is Medicare certified, otherwise Medicare won’t pay for services. Other questions to ask include what type of services are provided, frequenty of care, and who will be your point of contact.
7. Hospice care continues after death. After a patient passes, hospice can provide grief counseling or other bereavement services to family members.
8. Hospice doesn’t accelerate the dying process. While some equate hospice with giving up, hospice care doesn’t focus on death, but helping people better enjoy the time they have life by living fuller more comfortable lives.
Would you consider hospice care for your loved ones? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.