What do I need to know about hospice?

Hospice can be a scary word for people, but it’s important to understand. Karyl Thomas of Lori Williams Senior Services joins me to bring her 20+ years of expertise, including 3 years working in hospice herself. She shares 10 things you should know about hospice, many that correct common misconceptions around it!

1. Hospice doesn’t hasten death. It allows the disease to run its course but helps ensure a better quality of life as it does.

2. You won’t have your medications taken from you when you go on hospice care. Any medications that improve your quality of life and prevent injury will continue.

3. You can still go to the hospital when on hospice, but the goal is to avoid unnecessary hospital visits. If you broke your hip but were in hospice for congestive heart failure, you could still have surgery to fix the hip.

4. You can go to physical therapy, but insurance and Medicare may not pay for you to have physical therapy and be on hospice at the same time. But patients with the funds have the option to pay for additional therapies privately if needed for comfort or functional purposes.

5. Hospice does not seek aggressive treatments specific to the terminal illness. Instead, it focuses on comfort and quality of life.

6. You’re not required to have a do not resuscitate (DNR) order for hospice enrollment, but most do. You still have the option to decline for religious reasons and more.

7. The type of hospice care you’ll receive depends on your individual needs. 24/7 care is typically reserved for end-of-life situations or acute distress.

8. All hospice agencies are different. Do your due diligence to find the right one for you! Read reviews and learn about their after-hours care, frequency of hospice aid visits, etc.

9. You have to qualify for hospice care, with a general prognosis of 6 months, a physician’s order and a clinical evaluation by the hospice agency.

10. The majority of hospice is at home. A hospice facility will take patients with a prognosis of 5 days or less.

It’s important to destigmatize hospice and learn what it's all about because it has evolved over time. Hospice is not a death sentence, and knowledge is power if you or someone you love qualifies.

Topics discussed:

Hospice care tips
Hospice misconceptions
Hospice history
How to qualify for hospice
What hospice care is

Takeaways from this episode:

Hospice is about hospitality at its core, and it prioritizes comfort.
Not only can hospice extend life, it improves the quality of life as well.
It’s possible for patients to go on hospice and become discharged for extended prognosis. You can still requalify later.
You can discuss with a nurse before hospice begins to learn which meds should be continued or not.
You can also have conversations with hospice care workers to learn which hospital visits are necessary vs. unnecessary.