Hospice Care
Most people equate hospice care with end of life. While it is true that hospice care is primarily targeted to those who are terminally ill, those who enter hospice care don't necessarily pass away. A famous and recent example is satirist Art Buckwald. He entered a hospice program expecting to live only a few weeks--however, he recuperated well enough to leave the hospice care after 5 months. He passed away 5 months after he left the program (approx. 10 months after he initially enter the program).
There are other examples like this. Why this sudden improvement is health when people normally go into hospice care "to die"?
It may primarily be due to the palliative care -- a specialty aimed at improving a patient’s quality of life-- that is offered in the hospice programs. The New York Times has three articles dedicated to hospice care this weekend. In "There Is Life After Hospice, and Even Golf in Florida for Some" a director of palliative medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, stated "hospice should be viewed not as giving up all hope but about getting the care one needs. If the disease continues to progress, the patient is likely to die,… But patients may also be able to gain the weight and strength necessary to prolong their lives."
Hospice programs are changing so as to promote helping the patient recuperate (as opposed to helping them prepare for death). In "A Chance to Pick Hospice, and Still Hope to Live," programs are now offering patients the option to receive treatments (such as chemotherapy or dialysis) while being enrolled in a hospice program. Previously, patients had to pick between getting treatment at a hospital to try to combat the illness or enter a hospice care program. Fortunately, now they don’t have to choose.
The third article in The New York Times, " Hospice Basics" gives a list of some basic (and advanced) services the hospices provide which you should be aware of--- for yourself but most importantly for your loved ones. Sooner or later, you will be the caregiver who will have to make these choices. Be informed about what to keep an eye on.
There are other examples like this. Why this sudden improvement is health when people normally go into hospice care "to die"?
It may primarily be due to the palliative care -- a specialty aimed at improving a patient’s quality of life-- that is offered in the hospice programs. The New York Times has three articles dedicated to hospice care this weekend. In "There Is Life After Hospice, and Even Golf in Florida for Some" a director of palliative medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, stated "hospice should be viewed not as giving up all hope but about getting the care one needs. If the disease continues to progress, the patient is likely to die,… But patients may also be able to gain the weight and strength necessary to prolong their lives."
Hospice programs are changing so as to promote helping the patient recuperate (as opposed to helping them prepare for death). In "A Chance to Pick Hospice, and Still Hope to Live," programs are now offering patients the option to receive treatments (such as chemotherapy or dialysis) while being enrolled in a hospice program. Previously, patients had to pick between getting treatment at a hospital to try to combat the illness or enter a hospice care program. Fortunately, now they don’t have to choose.
The third article in The New York Times, " Hospice Basics" gives a list of some basic (and advanced) services the hospices provide which you should be aware of--- for yourself but most importantly for your loved ones. Sooner or later, you will be the caregiver who will have to make these choices. Be informed about what to keep an eye on.
Labels: caregiving, hospice care, palliative care
posted by CareTALKGals(tm) at 2/09/2007 11:39:00 PM
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