Hospice supportive care services are something that people often misunderstand, which affects how they approach end-of-life care overall. The overall goal of hospice is to offer comfort and support. But many times it is seen as people near the end of life giving up or limiting their own end-of-life options. Dispelling these misconceptions helps families to make better and more informed decisions during a time that is already a difficult one.
When Hospice Supportive Care Is Appropriate
Lots of people believe that hospice supportive care is only appropriate when someone is within days of passing away. The reality is that hospice is available for several months before the end of life and it can be more effective when patients opt for hospice soon after they become eligible for this type of care. Hospice services focus on comfort and quality of life, so they can make those last few months better overall for people with life-limiting illnesses.
Whether People Are Giving Up by Choosing Hospice
Choosing hospice does not mean that patients are giving up on treatment or fighting whatever illness they’re battling. Patients opting for hospice are better able to relieve symptoms like pain or nausea. They may be tired of curative treatments, but that doesn’t mean that they’re giving up. Hospice doesn’t hasten death, so it’s not a means of giving up.
What Hospice Helps Patients Manage
Most people tend to hear about hospice when someone they know has cancer and nears the end of life. But cancer is not the only condition that people who choose hospice have. Hospice supportive care can help patients with all sorts of terminal conditions, like kidney failure, Alzheimer’s disease, or COPD. The main qualifier for hospice is that patients are expected to live for six months or fewer. The exact life-limiting condition they’re facing doesn’t disqualify them from hospice.
Where Hospice Supportive Care Is Available
Hospice care isn’t only offered in a hospice facility or a hospital setting. More and more people are accessing hospice in their own homes. Receiving care at home means that people near the end of life are comfortable and surrounded by their belongings as well as the people they love. A team of hospice providers helps them to manage their condition.
What Hospice Means for Independence
Another concern is that hospice means that people can no longer make their own decisions about their health and their care going forward. But the truth is that hospice care emphasizes personal choice. Patients can choose the treatments they want, and the types of assistance they need and want, and they’re able to build a supportive environment. This is incredibly important in ensuring that people near the end of life can control as much of the decisions around their end-of-life care as possible.
Whether Family Members Also Benefit
Hospice isn’t just for the patient with a life-limiting illness, however. It’s also there for family members. Grief support and respite support are two of the biggest ways hospice is there for the entire family. That support doesn’t end when the patient passes away, either. Bereavement support is available afterward.
Understanding more about hospice supportive care and how it works alleviates misconceptions that could cause patients to avoid this type of care.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Hospice Supportive Care Services in Marion OH, please contact the caring staff at Central Star Home Health today. Call 419-756-9449
Central Star Home Health is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Ohio including Ashland, Bellville, Bucyrus, Crestline, Galion, Lexington, Mansfield, Marion, Mt. Vernon, Ontario, Shelby, and Willard.
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