Here's how palliative and hospice care are different.
Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the late stages of an incurable illness, such as cancer or Alzheimer's disease. Hospice care also helps family members manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for someone who is dying.
Hospice services are provided by a team of caregivers that may include health professionals, volunteers, and spiritual advisors. Services typically include:
A hospice team will manage your care. Most of the time, hospice care is provided in your home. A family member or friend may look after you much of the time. The hospice team will work with them to give you the best care possible. Someone from your hospice team will likely visit you for an hour or so once a week or more.
A hospice team usually includes:
Some hospice teams also include:
The hospice team will adjust your care plan as your situation and needs change.
Some people worry about losing touch with their regular, trusted doctor. But your regular doctor can work with others on your team to stay involved in your care.
There are many things to consider as you choose a hospice program. This list can help you ask the right questions when you meet with hospice programs.
Are they provided in:
Does the program have:
Does the hospice program develop a care plan with you and your family?
The care plan should include specific duties, who will perform them and how often, and the name and phone number of the supervisor. A good program will develop a care plan by providing a health professional who will:
Is it:
If possible, talk with the families. Ask about their experience. Would they recommend the program to others?
After your visit, ask yourself:
Hospice is for people who are near the end of their life. It provides treatment to relieve symptoms. The goal is to keep you comfortable, not to try to cure your disease. Hospice care does not speed up or lengthen dying. It focuses on easing pain and other symptoms.
Hospice care also offers emotional help and spiritual support when you are dying. And it helps caregivers manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for someone who is dying.
Some people think that starting hospice is a last resort, that it means they're giving up on life. Some think that hospice means a lower level of medical care. But hospice is simply a type of care that focuses on the quality of your life instead of on continuing with treatment to prolong your life.
Usually, two things must be true for you to be eligible for hospice care. First, your illness can't be cured. This is called a terminal illness. Second, your doctor expects that you will live 6 months or less if your illness runs its normal course.
The goal of hospice is to keep you as comfortable as possible during the time you have left. You will get medical care to provide comfort. Hospice workers will help your caregivers learn how to care for you.
You will need to fill out some forms for hospice care. These include:
After you start the hospice program, you will want to get all billing arrangements in writing. This includes costs and payment arrangements. Be sure to keep a copy.
Be sure that your family knows:
There are many reasons why you might choose hospice care. You might choose it if treatment for your disease has become more of a burden than a benefit. Or you might choose hospice if you want to focus on comfort rather than medical treatments.
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