Hospice Questions

1. How do I change hospice agencies?

   A red flag appears when I hear about an ill person distrusting those whose job is to provide care and comfort. Medicine interactions, cognitive impairments related to the disease process-both of these things can make a person distrustful when there is no reason to be distrustful...
   1 Expert Answer

2. Is Hospice a solution for an Alzheimer's patient?

   When you ask for a 'solution' there must exist a 'problem'. Since one has not been identified, I will assume this is a generalized query. Perhaps there is no primary carepartner or no home setting or extended healthcare community for the patient to live out his/her final years...
   1 Expert Answer

3. Can I demand that Dad receive home hospice if Mom says no?

   As you know all too well, you and your family members are in a delicate position, which may have no easy or ideal solution.
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

4. Is it time for hospice?

   I am sorry about your husband. When someone is as sick as your husband is, it is appropriate to call a hospice that serves your area and talk with them. They offer many services that can be helpful including nurses visits and occasionally doctor's visits to your home...
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

5. Why is my father's oncologist making him choose between chemotherapy or hospice?

   I do not know why your father's oncologist is saying that now he must choose between chemotherapy and hospice. There may be a reason, such as the lymphoma might be growing and it is important to treat it now. If that is so, your oncologist ought to be able to explain it...
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

6. How will accepting hospice care affect my job?

   You should consider hospice when your husband, 1) has completed all his therapies, such as radiation, chemotherapy, blood transfusions, or other therapies and, 2) when his physician can state he/she estimates his life expectancy at 6 months or less, should his disease run its normal course.
   1 Expert Answer

7. Is this hospice nurse getting to personal with my widowed mother?

   From your description, it sounds like your mother could use some support from you. It is not the normal “follow up” for any hospice to keep in contact with the family of the deceased in the way you describe. Hospice offers bereavement follow up care for up to one year to support families during thg...
   1 Expert Answer, 6 Community Answers

8. Can I talk to my sister's hospice caregivers in another state?

   I would suggest you contact the hospice that is caring for your sister, directly, and explain your concerns. As a family member you may be able to talk to the caregivers your sister has. This is not a “given” though. If your sister has stated she only wants to speak to her guardian, for example, le...
   1 Expert Answer

9. Can mom be catheterized while in hospice to make it easier on me?

   Indwelling catheters are an option when the patient is unable to ambulate to the bathroom, or is currently wearing briefs. This is an invasive treatment, requires a physician order, and is not pleasant for the patient. There is always a risk of infection; families need to be educated on good catheter care, and what to do if the catheter becomes plugged...
   1 Expert Answer

10. We want to place mom in hospice care but were denied, what should we do?

    First, your mom is under the care of her primary physician. He or she is the one to consult regarding a referral to hospice. From your description, your mom would benefit greatly from hospice in that her pain and symptoms would be managed, as “curative” treatments are no longer an op...
    1 Expert Answer

11. Can hospice step in if an Alzheimer's patient no longer wants to be hospitalized?

    The Hospice Benefit requires that patients have a prognosis, or life expectancy, of 6 months or less as determined by their doctor. This is really an end-of-life benefit when cure is no longer an option and all therapies have been complet...
    1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

12. Should my mother be using an IV when in hospice care?

    IV therapy in hospice care is a controversial issue. Many research studies have been done on this topic. In many cases, IV therapy isn't an option for hospice patients because they have poor veneous access (no veins), or a health condition that makes giving fluids dangeous, like kidney disease...
    1 Expert Answer

13. Where can I find a stroke specialist to examine my mother in hospice care?

    I would start by asking her doctors or medical team. It sounds like you're specifically looking for a specialist who does home visits (a rarity, indeed, but not unheard of.) Your mom's hospice team should know who does this in your area, and be able to make referrals...
    1 Expert Answer

14. Is it okay to only pay home expenses and let credit card debt slide while mom is in hospice care?

    Credit card companies have not been doing well in regard to public opinion lately and your situation certainly does nothing to enhance their reputation. I suggest that you contact the credit card company and ask to speak to a supervisor. Explain your mother's situation and that she is not in a position to pay the credit card balance at this time...
    1 Expert Answer

15. How can we find hospice care in our area?

    It certainly seems like you have your hands full! Caring for your mom, as well as your dad, would be overwhelming for anyone. I am not sure you can find a hospice near you, but I have included a website at the end of my post whose specific purpose is finding hospices.
    1 Expert Answer

16. Where can I find a pastory to come and give my father communion in hospice care?

    How wonderful that your father’s been taken off of hospice care. It appears that you’ve invested in your dad’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health over many years and are continuing to do so as you look for a pastor to administer com...
    1 Expert Answer

17. Is congestive heart failure hospice treatment premature?

    I am glad that your father is doing better. It sounds like the medications they are using have really helped him.
    1 Expert Answer

18. How do I deal with a hospice nurse who isn't as knowledgeable as I'd like?

    Sometimes, families have not had hospice thoroughly explained to them. Some expect more interaction by the nurse, social worker, or hospice aide than the benefit covers. While your mother’s nurse comes twice a week now, that could change as her disease progress...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

19. Does entering Hospice care mean death is near?

    Your grandfather’s doctor has based his diagnosis on various tests and signs and symptoms that have presented during his course of treatment. From your description, there are many things going on that involve different systems of the body, such as the lungs, kidneys, liver and col...
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

20. How can we convince Mediare that facility-based hospice care is necessary and should be covered?

    Hospice as covered by Medicare can be a tremendous help to both a patient and the family, but it's not intended to provide long-term inpatient care. Instead, it's meant to allow a person to be as comfortable as possible at home during the final stages of a terminal illness, with only very short stays...
    1 Expert Answer