Is Hospice Care Misunderstood?

Hear the word hospice and what do you think? The patient is close to dying, right? Kaiser Health News did a story about hospice care that explains the patient doesn’t have to be on the edge of dying. Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’ examines the misconception about hospice care.

Although hospices now serve more than 1.4 million people a year, this specialized type of care, meant for people with six months or less to live, continues to evoke resistance, fear and misunderstanding… “The biggest misperception about hospice is that it’s ‘brink-of-death care,’” said Patricia Mehnert, a longtime hospice nurse and interim chief executive officer of TRU Community Care, the first hospice in Colorado.

People who have some time left may find that using hospice gives them a better quality of life.  “New research confirms that hospice patients report better pain control, more satisfaction with their care and fewer deaths in the hospital or intensive care units than other people with similarly short life expectancies.” (The article referenced in the quote requires purchase or subscription).  The KHN article explains the differences in the four levels of care offered by hospice, including respite care, routine care, general inpatient care and continuous care. Routine care is the most typical, with visits by aides and an RN, the frequency of which is dictated by the patient’s condition.  One of the biggest misconceptions, according to the article, the family thinks hospice folks will be in the home with the patient continuously.  As a result, the family or patient may need to hire aides or companions to get the needed help.  The article discusses provision of medications, choice of doctors,  medication concerns, discharge and care of the patient in the last few days of life.