It’s normal for a hospice to release a small portion of patients before death – about 15% has been typical, but research from some new for-profit companies showed the rate of patients leaving hospice care alive is double that level or more and has risen in recent years. Patients who are not near death are […]
Pediatric Hospice: A Special Kind of Care Part 2
In addition to the physical, spiritual, and emotional effects of dealing with a terminal illness, there’s also the barrage of outside stressors – things like medical bills, insurance claims, and the logistics of taking care of healthy children while still being there for the one who is hospitalized or sick at home. There may also […]
Pediatric Hospice: A Special Kind of Care Part 1
Pediatric hospice care targets children from birth to 21 years of age and is used for a range of diagnoses including cancer, heart conditions, lung diseases, neurological disorders, and premature birth. Care can begin as soon as a diagnosis is made, be provided throughout treatment and follow-up, and continue until the final moments of life. Studies have […]
Isolation in Caring
Alexa never imagined at 46 years old what her life would be as a full-time caregiver. Her mother, having lived independently for years and still working well into her 80’s, began showing signs of uncharacteristic behavior like confusion, agitation, and decreased physical stability. It wasn’t long before Alexa knew she needed to intervene. After several doctor visits […]
The Right Time for Hospice
Waiting too long to use hospice care can make suffering at end-of-life worse. When is it the right time? Anyone with a terminal illness who is faced with choosing quality over quantity of their life should be having honest and ongoing discussions about their goals with their physicians and loved ones. Hospice itself is not […]
What If Your Dearly Departed Wasn’t So Dear
Experiencing the death of a family member can be difficult even for the most loving of relationships, so how do you cope with grief and the death of someone when your memories and negative experiences far outweigh the good? Is it possible to grieve for someone you have feelings of hurt and resentment toward and […]
Choosing the Right Hospice for You
If your community has more than one hospice organization, how do you know which one is right for you? How can you know anything about them? One way to find out is by calling the hospices in your area and finding out about the services they offer. You can call the National Hospice and Palliative […]
Palliative Care Means Fewer Trips to the ER
A report published earlier this year confirmed that community-based palliative care was associated with a 50 percent reduction in emergency room visits during the last year of patients’ lives. While this isn’t a brand new finding, it did clarify the effectiveness of palliative care and the reduction of emergency room visits associated with 5 different […]
Raising Awareness of the Benefits of Hospice
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), which is the oldest and largest leadership organization working on behalf of hospice and palliative care, is reporting that 34.5 percent of patients died or were discharged within seven days of admission to hospice. In addition, 61.5 percent of patients received care for 29 days or less. […]
Most Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice
It’s hard enough to deal with a terminal illness and the care involved – so to help take some of the mystery out of what exactly “hospice” means, here are a list of the most frequently asked questions according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and CaringInfo, a national consumer education and engagement […]
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