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 […]
What Does Comfort Care Actually Mean?
The recent statement from the Bush family about former First Lady Barbara Bush’s decision to receive comfort care instead of hospitalization has created a surge of interest and questions from the public about what “comfort care” actually means. There are different forms of comfort care, but at its most basic, it’s a plan that focuses […]
Promoting Higher Levels of Quality of Care
A new study is underway exploring whether home-based palliative care (HBPC) or palliative care received in clinics is most effective in boosting the quality of life for seriously ill patients. Conducted through the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and led by Susan Enguidanos, a palliative care expert and a professor at USC Davis, the […]
Tips for Parents on Sending Children Back to School After a Death
Experiencing the loss of a loved one can be difficult at any age but it can be especially hard when the loss is experienced by a child. Unlike adults, children don’t have many resources to help them — so that’s why it’s important that a parent is a consistent resource for them after a death. […]
Cost of Dying in Hospitals: The Impact on Your Life and Wallet
When faced with the need for palliative or hospice care, more patients are choosing to die at home rather than in nursing homes and hospitals. It’s not only an issue of quality of life, but it can also be more budget friendly than spending your last days in a hospital. Medical care is not cheap – […]