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Originally Posted by lanie1160
Can anyone tell me their opinion of joining hospice?
It has gotten to that point and want to know I am making the right decision. Thank you
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There are a lot of inaccuracies on these replies so I’ll jump in here with some actual info and hope it helps. I’m a nurse, I’ve worked in hospice, and my father had hospice a few years ago before he died. Hospice care is expert end of life care provided by an interdisciplinary team. A person needs to have a physicians order for hospice, although hospice providers can come to your home and assess you and contact your doctor for an order. Your doctor needs to think and certify that you have likely 6 months or less to live, although you won’t get kicked out of you don’t die in that 6 months. Medicare and most insurances provide hospice as a benefit. Hospice will cover all medications, medical equipment, provide a nurse, nurse aid, social worker, etc. and do everything they can to help their patients be comfortable. Their expertise is comfort care. When you sign up for hospice, you are agreeing not to simultaneously seek curative care ( such as chemo, surgeries, etc.). Hospice care can be provided in your home, a hospice facility (although you will have to cover room and board), a care facility, etc.
On a personal note, here is my experience with my dad’s hospice care. He had COPD and heart failure. Every time he couldn’t breathe the docs sent him to the ER, where he would be seen, admitted, and they would send him home in 2 days. It was exhausting, and he was clearly not doing well. I called his doctors and they told me that there was nothing they could do. Hospice was consulted, and they came and started him on some new meds, got some helpful equipment in the home, sent in a home health aid, and talked to my folks about my dad’s wishes. My dad was a fascinating guy and wanted to record his life story, so they sent in a story catcher who would sit with him and record his life story. A nurse aid bathed him 3 times a week. At first he was nervous but soon he got used to that and he loved taking that burden off my mom. As his days winded down, the nurses gave him just a little morphine when he was uncomfortable. My dad died 6 months later, surrounded by his family, in his home. I can’t imagine doing this without hospice.
Someone was bashing hospice saying they can’t provide IV fluids or tube feedings. Hospice care is end of life care, so they do not do any force feeding or fluids. It is to allow a natural death. Over the ages, when people are dying, they don’t eat or drink much as time goes on. Force feeding doesn’t do anything except prolong the misery. They do not with hold food or fluids. My dad ate very little during the last month of his life, but he did request lots of different things that he loved and we made sure he had all of them!
Now there is one other type of care that gets mixed up with hospice that is called palliative care. Palliative care is a specialty that can be provided along with curative care. Palliative care providers address chronic suffering and are experts at symptom management.