Denton County Living Well Magazine May/June 2017 | Page 31

When is Hospice
Care Needed?
By Robert Smith
H
ospice care may be recommended by a physi-
cian when a patient has received optimal medi-
cal treatment that has failed to remedy symptoms
of an illness and the prognosis for survival is
poor.
Hospice care shifts the focus from curing a terminal dis-
ease to managing symptoms and treatment to benefit the
patient’s quality of life. Hospice emphasizes palliative care
that relieves a patient’s symptoms, making the patient as
comfortable as possible. Hospice also provides emotional
support for the patient and family, helping them prepare
physically, spiritually, and emotionally for the end of life.
Patients should discuss with their physician any remaining
treatment possibilities for his condition and agree on when
hospice care becomes the next option.
Medicare, Medicaid, and some private insurance also
cover in-home hospice services for terminally ill patients
who have a life expectancy of six months or less. Services
include palliative care nursing, medications, medical social
work, and personal care assistance. Hospice care must be
authorized by the patient and the patient’s physician.
WHAT CAN A PATIENT AND FAMILY EXPECT FROM
HOSPICE CARE?
Hospice involves a range of medical care and emotional
support for terminally ill patients and their families. A hos-
pice agency will assign a nurse, who works with the pa-
tient’s physician to provide the appropriate level of care
to the patient. In addition to a nurse and hospice physi-
cian, the hospice team may include the services of a home
health aide, chaplain, bereavement professional, and so-
cial worker.
Hospice care typically involves pain and symptom man-
agement, medical equipment and supplies, medications
related to the terminal illness, crisis care support, respite
help for the family, and bereavement support. One of the
social worker’s roles is to help arrange for other needed
services for the patient and family that are not provided
by the hospice agency.
Continuous or in-patient hospice care is provided for
a skilled medical need during emergency situations,
such as pain/symptom management. The care is in-
tended for a brief period of time in the event of crises.
The hospice team, though, will teach and support the
family how to provide comfort to the patient during
those times.
The patient and family should discuss with the hospice
provider what services you feel are needed and what
the hospice agency is able to provide.
BRIDGE CARE — TRANSITIONING FROM HOME
CARE TO HOSPICE
Some home care agencies are able to “bridge” from home
health to hospice services when the end stage of a terminal
illness occurs. The transition to hospice changes the focus
of home care to palliative treatment – managing symptoms
of the illness so as to provide a terminally ill patient with
relief from pain and suffering.
Using a single home care agency that can transition patient
care from home health to hospice will eliminate disruptions
in services that can occur when a new agency takes over
providing care from another agency. Most patients and
families also find comfort having the home health agency
they’ve depended on and trusted also provide hospice care
when it’s needed.
A patient or family has a right to choose an agency they
feel will provide a tradition of care that can be trusted to be
there when it is needed.
www.vnatexas.org
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2017
29