At the end of a long battle with a serious illness, you or your loved one may be struggling to live life. This difficult and sad time is made more stressful by trying to decide the best option for care. One option in the last stages of life that can empower patients is hospice care. Hospice is a way for terminally ill patients to gain greater control over their options.
Hospice care is difficult to talk about because it means that you have to talk about the end of life. However, there are several reasons why hospice care is worth pursuing. You might consider hospice care if you or your loved one:
It may be hard for you or your loved one to accept the end of life, but hospice care is an option for those who are done with aggressive medical treatment and want to say goodbye on their own terms.
In order to receive care from a hospice program, you must meet these two requirements:
Though your doctor can estimate how long you have left to live, there is no way to know precisely. Sometimes, people live longer than six months when in hospice care, which they can continue until they pass. Alternatively, it could be that your or your loved one’s illness gets better, and you no longer qualify for hospice care. Hospice care is usually paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, or other health insurance in the last six months of life.
Some people have terminal illnesses that are not predictable that may qualify for hospice care even though they cannot predict whether or not they will live for a few months or several years. Unpredictable illnesses have their own guidelines when it comes to hospice care. In general, people with the following illnesses qualify for hospice care in the late stages of the condition:
Some people may have other illnesses that are unpredictable yet terminal and want to receive hospice care. In these cases, it is possible that Medicare will not cover it, as they generally cover hospice only in the last six months of life.
At Your Healing Touch, we understand that when your loved one is nearly at the end of their life, you want to make sure they are as comfortable and at home as possible. If your loved one requires hospice care, we can act as a resource to help you find what you need. Contact Your Healing Touch today to learn more about our elder care services.
