UNDERSTANDING HOSPICE

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND

HOSPICE?•Our care and services overlap

•Continuity of Care

•Passing the baton

WHAT IS HOSPICE CARE?

• Hospice is a philosophy and type of care that provides comprehensive,

loving support for people with illnesses that have progressed beyond a

doctor’s expectation for cure

• Focus is on caring not curing

• Hospice provides support for physical, emotional, social and spiritual

needs. It takes a holistic view of the person.

• The care provided manages distressing pain and other symptoms – the

goal is comfort and quality of life

HOSPICE CARE – THE PHILOSOPHY

Hospice philosophy is based on the belief that…

• The dying process is a part of the normal process of living

• The quality of life remaining can be enhanced

• Hospice should neither hasten nor postpone death but

rather walk alongside the patient & loved ones

CURATIVE CARE VS. COMFORT CARE

Curative CareDisease drivenDoctor in chargeDisease process is primaryFew choices

Comfort CareSymptom drivenPatient is in chargeDisease process is secondary to personMany choicesComfort & quality of life are the focus; home or homelike place

HOSPICE CARE SETTINGS

Care is given at the place the patient calls home

• Private Home

• Assisted Living

• RCFE/Board and Care

• Skilled Nursing Facility

COMPONENTS OF HOSPICE

1. Hospice Team2. Durable Medical Equipment and Supplies3. Medications

THE HOSPICE TEAM

• Interdisciplinary Team

• Holistic view of patient requires team approach

• Patient and loved ones are at core of the Hospice Team

INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Interdisciplinary Team1. Physician 2. Nurse 3. Social Worker4. Chaplain/Spiritual Counselor5. Therapists6. Home Health Aide7. Volunteers

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

• Provision of durable medical equipment and supplies are needed as the person’s physical condition declines

MEDICATIONS

BEREAVEMENT

Grieving is a necessary passage and a difficult

transition to finally letting go of sorrow – it is not a

permanent rest stop

- Dodinsky

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR HOSPICE?

Criteria

1.A prognosis of life expectancy of 6 months or less if the disease takes its expected course

2.Patient or Responsible Party choses comfort care versus curative treatments

3.No regard to age, gender, nationality, race, creed, sexual orientation, disability, diagnosis, availability of a primary caregiver, or ability to pay.

WHO PAYS FOR HOSPICE CARE?

Multiple sources of payment• Medicare• Medi-Cal• VA Benefit• Most private insurance plans and HMOs

(coverage varies by plan)• Private pay• Charitable Foundations• No insurance (varies by hospice company)

WHEN SHOULD ONE SEEK HOSPICE CARE?

• Hospice care works best when families utilize it sooner than

later when their doctor tells them that treatments are no

longer working

• Studies have shown that people live longer and have better

quality of life with hospice care

• Families often tell us “I wish I had known about hospice

sooner”, or that “I wish we had come on to the hospice

program sooner”

SUMMARY

The goal of hospice care is to maintain the highest level of dignity, comfort and quality of life possible for patient and family/loved ones.

“YOU MATTER BECAUSE YOU ARE YOU. YOU MATTER TO THE LAST MOMENT OF LIFE, AND WE WILL DO ALL WE CAN, NOT ONLY TO HELP YOU DIE PEACEFULLY, BUT

ALSO TO LIVE UNTIL YOU DIE.”

DAME CECILY SAUNDERSHERALD-SUN, PALLIATIVE CARE WEEK

FINAL THOUGHTS

6/22/18 – 7/14/05