Hospice vs. home health care
You're correct that hospice doesn't offer routine maintenance. For that you'll need a home healthcare service or move your mom to an assisted living. I'm actually surprised that your local hospice accepted your mother as a patient if she's still well enough to tolerate and benefit from CT scans and subsequent treatment. Admittance to hospice service usually requires signs of "failure to thrive" with a terminal illness or simply old age. Hospice plays an essential role in the care of anyone at the end of life or facing the endstage of illness. The goal of hospice is to keep a person as comfortable as possible, free from being poked, prodded or unnecessarily moved. There comes a point in the progression of decline where the "cure" is worse than the symptoms. Many of the tests and medications we use routinely in healthcare can have devastating effects on the frail and seriously demented; the disease might be uncomfortable, but the tests may actually kill you. Hospice is also focused on the dignity of the individual and respecting that person's wishes. Almost all of us want to die in our own beds and free of tubes and uncomfortable breathing apparatus. That's the purpose of hospice and they are Wonderful at what they do, so when that day arrives for your mom, call them back. I suggest you visit the websites of the national hospice associations for more information. PS I'm glad you called them in early (albeit a little too early.) Most people wait too long and thus deprive their loved ones of physical comfort and a peaceful natural death.
