The Right Time for Hospice

When you think of hospice, you automatically think about the end of a person’s life. Calling in hospice, for many, is the equivalent of giving up. Yet if you speak to anyone who has finally made that call, the most frequent response is, “Why did we wait so long?” Hospice means a level of care that you just won’t find outside of that environment. It often means peace for patients and their families, yet still people put off that call. When is it really time to call hospice? This checklist may help you decide.

• The Prognosis is Six Months or Less: Hospice services only work with patients who have been given a prognosis of six months or less, no matter what the actual diagnosis may be. To get that prognosis, often two physicians must agree on the prognosis.
• Curative Services Have Ended: If there are no further possible curative treatments, or your loved one simply doesn’t want to be cured, the time has come to call hospice. No matter what the patient’s age, hospice means care focused on comfort, not a cure. Quality of life at the end of the person’s life is key to caring for them.
• Increased Problems: If your loved one has begun to notice an increase in problems like uncontrollable pain, frequent infections, confusion, or many ER/hospital visits, it may be time to call for hospice care. As a person becomes increasingly ill, he or she may begin to experience a more serious stage of the disease, and that can lead to more problems than you noticed before.

If you think it’s time to call hospice care, contact us today. We’ll guide you through the process and help you understand what comes next.