Does hospice offer any private settings where I can live out my last days?

Childofjesus2008 asked...

I need to know if Hospice has a private place where I can go to live out my last days when it happens. I do not and will not be a burden to my children.

Expert Answer

Audrey Wuerl, RN, BSN, PHN, is education coordinator for Hospice of San Joaquin in California. She is also a geriatric trainer for the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), which promotes education in geriatric nursing and end-of-life care.

One of the greatest fears patients have is being a burden to family when faced with a life-limiting disease. This fear can even be greater than fearing pain at the end of life. So, rest assured there are options for patients with terminal diseases to receive hospice services besides in the home setting.

But, first I'd like to clarify what hospice tries to achieve. Hospice offers supportive care for patients and families when cure is no longer an option. For most patients, this would be in the 6 month period preceding death. Hospice is a philosophy that allows people to remain in their own homes, with family and friends, and strives to provide quality of life when quantity is no longer an option. Patients and families receive the care, training, and support from the hospice team of nurses, social workers, and chaplains to achieve this goal. Hospice workers can manage pain and symptoms that cause distress for the patient and family"”and help offer a life closure with dignity and respect.

These services can also be offered in a nursing home or assisted living facility. And some hospices, such as the one I work for, have a private hospice setting called a Hospice House that is available for patients who require around-the-clock care, usually within the last two months of life. Sometimes the Hospice House option is appropriate for a patient with an elderly or frail caregiver. Usually these houses are reserved for patients whose pain and symptoms are difficult to control in other setting.

But, regardless of where the care is received, the concept of hospice is about living until you die.