|
  |
|
|
Hospice Care in the USA
What's Hospice Care?
It appears that many people have no idea - which is very hard for me to grasp, but it is a fact. As healthcare goes, it is relatively new - in the 1980s in the USA. Hospice care is an end of life care for those patients who no longer wish to have agressive medical care, but rather opt for comfort care that often offers them a better quality at the end of their life. If cared for at home a care giver is named. There is also inpatient hospice care and hospice residental houses. The physcian has to determine and certify that the patient has a teminal illness with a expected life expectancy of 6 months or less. Once this is done, the patient and the family must agree to this course at the end of life. Quite often patients live longer than 6 months. Their illness have to be recertified periodically. Usually the agressive treatment ends, unless it is used to actually aid the patient's comfort, i.e. tumor reduction to relieve nerve pain, or make breathing easier etc. What Hospice offers in lieu of agressive treatment, which is often painful and requires hsopitalization, is comfort care and hospice nurses KNOW how to provide comfort care. Comfort care is pain and symptom control where qutie often the patient's pain can be brought under control, breathing is relieved, nausea is reduced, family emotioanl needs met etc. In addition to nursing care, including personal care, Hospice offers social workers to help with finances and emotional needs of patient and family, spiritual services, volunteer services to provide compainionship, relief for the family caregiver, and sitters and bevreavment services for the family. You can see that the service is not only for the patient, but for the family. The home visits are made on a weekly basis or more if needed, by the case manager nurse, as needed by the cetified nurses aide and as needed, but at least monthly by the social worker. The Chaplain, if agreed to by the patient and faimly sees the patient monthly and as needed. Volunteer visits are made as requested by the patient/family and as needed. There is Hospice physicians who are the overseers of all care. For those with Medicare hospice visits, medications and equipment like beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc are all paid for by Medicare. If the patient is not have Medicare, then most insurances pay for these services. Each private insurance tends to be different and pay for things differently, per visit, so many dollars, etc. If the patient has no insurance, then Hospice applys for Medicaid (State) aid for them. No patient is refused service.
|
Contributor's Note
Most people who have experienced hospice care for a loved one will agree that this is a blessing for both the patient and the family and one of the best things you can do for a loved one at the end of life.
|
|
http://www.hospicenet.org
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
The copyright for this content entitled "Hospice Care in the USA" has been specified by the contributor as:
All Rights Reserved
This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
|
 |
|
This intel was contributed by Mic
Mic
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
