Is there a facility for COPD hospice care?
My spouse is in the advanced stages of COPD. She is unable to move much without gasping for breath. She prefers to sit quietly, read, and avoid any type of body motion. Although she may prefer to remain in our small condo, is there any particular type of assisted living, housing arrangement or hospice care for COPD that would be better suited for her?
Expert Answer
Services may be made available in your home to assist your wife in her advanced stages of COPD. Palliative care or hospice care may be the next step to consider in providing COPD caregiving. If you want to know more about these services especially for persons with advanced COPD, there are articles on the web, most of them very clinical. I would encourage you to discuss this situation with your wife’s doctor.
You need to consider your wife’s well-being in this journey as well as yours. As her condition worsens, her need for assistance will increase and you need to be aware of the impact of this caregiving on you. Palliative/hospice care can provide support for you and your wife as well as guide the two of you through her illness, answer your questions, and provide direct services. If your wife has Medicare health insurance coverage, hospice is a benefit. Hospice can provide coverage of some medications and medical equipment, nursing and home health aide assistance, the guidance of a social worker and a chaplain, and true support for you and your wife.
Here is a link to a general article about hospice and a link to hospice benefits under Medicare.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hospicecare.html
http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/hosplg.pdf
There are many articles on the caring.com site also about hospice and about advanced COPD. Hospice can be a really gift to you and your wife.