Better Health & Living: Article: The Hospice Option

Issue: January 2008

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The Hospice Option

Comfort and support for loved ones and their families

by Linda Rao

Published in family •caregiving | 0 Comments, Talk about this article »

Question: I care for my terminally ill uncle, and lately relatives have been telling me it’s time to get hospice involved. I don’t know what that is or what services are offered. Can you help?

Answer: “A hospice team offers end-of-life care and support for dying people and their families,” says Don Schumacher, PsyD, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in Alexandria, Virginia. “You can get hospice involved when a loved one’s health is declining without hope of getting better. And sometimes people call hospice when a person is near death. Hospice helps caregivers and loved ones realize they don’t have to deal with dying and grief alone.”

Hospice focuses on caring, not curing, Dr. Schumacher says. “Hospice teams focus on the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the dying and their families.”

Find a Team

Hospice providers include a wide range of professionals: physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy, home health aides, counselors, and trained volunteers. “Your loved one’s doctor should also be involved if you request it,” says Dr. Schumacher.

The hospice team develops an individualized care plan. “People need varying degrees of care, including pain management, grief counseling, skilled nursing, and personal and household aid,” Dr. Schumacher says. “The team then works together to help keep your loved one as comfortable as possible and provide help until the end.” Even after the death, hospice provides services for up to a year to help you and your family deal with grief.

Choose the Right Provider

Depending on the size of your community, you may have several hospice options. To help you choose, ask your doctor and other medical professionals, social worker, and clergy for their recommendations. “They’ll know what’s available and what services have been helpful to them,” says Dr. Schumacher. NHPCO suggests you ask potential hospice service providers these questions:

What services do you offer?

What kind of support is available to our family and loved one?
Do you provide 24/7 access to medical personnel?
What role does your service play with my loved one’s physician?
What will hospice do to keep my loved one comfortable?
Do you provide services after hours?
How and where does your service provide short-term inpatient care?
Do you provide respite care so I can take a break from caregiving?
With which nursing homes or long-term care facilities does your hospice team work?
How long would it take to enroll my loved one once I’ve made a request?
Is your service certified by Medicare? (The answer should be yes.)
Do you follow guidelines put forth by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization? (Again, the answer should be yes.)

“Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations pay for hospice care,” Dr. Schumacher says. “And usually a hospice provider will work with you to offer the services you need.”

One last word of advice: “Don’t wait too long to get hospice involved in your loved one’s care,” cautions Dr. Schumacher. “If he has an incurable illness, it’s time to call hospice. You don’t want him to be in pain, which can cause you and your family more grief and guilt after he has passed. Death is inevitable. Hospice helps you prepare for it in a compassionate way.”

Regular contributor Linda Rao has written about health, fitness, and caregiving for many national magazines.

Hospice—At Home

“In most cases, hospice cares for people in their homes or in the homes of loved ones,” says Don Schumacher, PsyD, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “About 9 out of 10 people live and die at home, which is a more comfortable and familiar environment. The rest die in an independent facility, either a nursing home or in-patient hospice unit in a hospital.” Conversely, if your loved one’s condition improves and he no longer needs hospice, the team can return when you need their help.

To Learn More

For more information about hospice services or to find end-of-life care services in your community, call the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s HelpLine at 800-568-8898 or visit their website, www.nhpco.org.