Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
#16
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I started looking for placement for my mother in hospice, at her request. A doctor was not involved. It all depends on why one is going to hospice, I guess. She had a high level of dementia but was lucid enough at times to let me know she wanted no more care for her. I called up a hospice, they came and evaluated her, and decided she was a candidate for hospice and palliative care since she was in a steady declining mode, and her condition had only one outcome. It’s been a couple of years now. Twice I was notified she was being considered to be removed from hospice. They thought she was holding steady and was no longer in immediate need of hospice. Both times, she was kept in hospice. Once because they realized she had been drastically losing weight for no reason, and the other time she got Covid. She has now been in steady decline for awhile; a few times we have even thought she was in transition.
So, do what you feel is most comfortable for you. You can talk it over with your doctor. Or interview several hospices first and get evaluated by one of them. They are all different, they offer different services, and have different focuses. I am sorry you are going through this. I wish you the best. |
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#17
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What a sobering topic. I wish you the best scenario for your condition. Much peace to you during this process.
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#18
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#19
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But we didn't "join" them. Mom's doctor wrote the order for them and we got to choose the agency. It was performed in her home and nurses came 3-4 times per week. The goal is to stabilize the patient and make them comfortable, not prolong their lives by artificial means. In our case there was nothing to be done except to wait and let the Disease take its course. You need to talk with your doctor about the need for it. |
#20
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They are wonderful, much better care than any hospitals around here. I advise to have a consultation with them about your needs.
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#21
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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. Last edited by beckylou152; 08-29-2023 at 07:05 AM. |
#22
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In hospice care you do not receive any medical treatments and this should be explained to you and to your family. You do receive palliative care (pain medication). Here is my experience with my mom. Once the difficult decision was made, the focus shifted to quality of remaining life. Volunteers with hospice visited my mom and focused on things she'd enjoy--like speaking to a young student who was studying her native language (Italian), or bringing in a volunteer who is also an accomplished opera singer. Another volunteer who was traveling to her native hometown in Italy sent back photos and IPhone videos. It was also made clear to me that although hospice is designed for end of life care, that people can end hospice care at any time. I also got help with planning for the funeral and other difficult end of life decisions from caring, lovely volunteers. The assigned nurse and doctor were also caring and kind. I'm sorry others had a bad experience and feel grateful that our experience was comforting to my mom and to us. I felt that hospice workers were angles on earth.
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#23
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I know this is hard. I wish you peace and a minimum of pain. |
#24
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We used Kindred in-home hospice out of Ocala when my husband entered hospice for end of life care. I was told we had to find a place in the county in which we lived, so Cornerstone was not available (we lived in Marion County). Sadly, our experience only lasted for a few days, but the nurses were very competent, helpful, and knowledgeable. The order for hospice came from his oncologist. Prayers for comfort during this process.
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#25
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Hospice care is comfort care, not restorative: it is end-of-life care and they do much more than "hold your hand". Hospice workers administer drugs designed to keep you comfortable, provide personal care (assisting with toileting, grooming, feeding, etc. as needed), act as a laiason between the patient and doctor, interact with family, and generally assist in just about all aspects of the dying process. Medicare - funded hospice is, as I recall, is available when the physician decides that the patient will die within six months, but no worries: if you make it to the six-month point alive, they just give you another six months. Anything beyond that I don't know: I had only one client exceed the six-month point and he died within a couple of weeks of renewal. As with any other service, there are good providers and bad providers; it behooves the patient and their family to do their research ahead of time. Doctors do recommend agencies but in the cases I've been associated with those recommendations are generally for services affiliated with the hospital/clinic that they are affiliated with. There are most likely differences that vary state-to-state (words associated with the service may have slightly different meanings depending on the governing rules in effect, possibly a slight variation in services available, etc.), but this is generally the way that Hospice works. All in all, not a bad way to cross the bridge. Last edited by ThirdOfFive; 08-29-2023 at 07:34 AM. |
#26
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Hospice is wonderful! You will not regret it. They supply everything you need covered under Medicare… no charge for you. The people are so kind and supportive. I’m in awe of this great service…
We have signed up with hospice right now and can’t sound their praise enough… |
#27
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You may already know: Your doctor has to make a hospice referral and he/she has to believe you have 6 months or less to live. Then hospice will evaluate/examine you to see if you are hospice appropriate. Meaning you need to meet insurance requirements. If you are admitted they will reevaluate every month. Some end up being in hospice for a year or more. Others are discharged cause they no longer meet the requirements. Believe it or not some people improve after hospice care begins. Sometimes it’s because the pain is relieved so the energy that went to dealing with the pain is now used on normal body function and maybe some healing. Other times it’s because they are taken off of the multiple meds that had been interacting with each other and wearing on the body. Keep in mind too that you can choose to be discharged from hospice at anytime. Last edited by kendi; 08-29-2023 at 09:00 AM. |
#28
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If you mean life saving care you are correct. You will certainly receive comfort care. Hospice is for end of life, you need to sign a DNR upon admission. You shouldn’t be in hospice if you are not at terms with the fact that you have only a short time left to live. After admission if you have a heart attack and you or family choose medical care then you will simply be discharged from hospice since you no longer meet the requirements.
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#29
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#30
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They were wonderful when my husband was dieing. They give meds that kept him pain free and alert. The nurses were kind and caring. We used Cornerstone Hospice in the Villages on 466. They also have volunteers who will come and sit with your spouse so that you can run out to the store or just have an hour or two to yourself. Hospice made the last month of his life manageable for him and for me. Our sons came and were able to have some decent time with him pain-free. I don't know about any other facilities, but the people at Cornerstone Hospice were great. I'm sorry you are in a position to need them, but they are caring and kind.
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