This is one in a ….

This is one in a series of monthly columns to familiarize LW residents with the vast array of resources available to them. Each article will focus on a topic of interest as researched by Member Resource Liaison Robann Arshat. This one is on hospice and palliative care. The goal is to help residents better manage the challenges often associated with aging and to keep people at home and healthy for as long as possible.

Hospice

What is hospice:

Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient’s pain and symptoms and tending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering so that the patient can focus on things they care about most. The goal of hospice care is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort and dignity.

When to Call for Hospice:

There are guidelines to help people decide when the hospice care should be discussed with loved ones and physicians:

• The patient has six months or less to live, according to a physician.

• The patient is rapidly declining despite medical treatment.

• The patient is ready to live more comfortably and forego treatments aimed at prolonging life. Medicare A covers up to 100% of hospice for patients with advanced illness.

Myths about Hospice

Myth: Hospice is a place where you go to die.

Fact: Hospice is not a place where you go to die, but rather a philosophy of care. This philosophy focuses on improving the quality of life by managing physical symptoms, as well as providing emotional and spiritual support for the patients and their loved ones. Hospice care can be provided at home, in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, assisted living facility or board and care facility.

Myth: Choosing hospice means I am giving up.

Fact: Hospice does not hasten or prolong death. It helps people living with terminal illnesses have the best quality of life possible. The hospice team-based approach to care will address the patient’s medical needs, and their emotional and spiritual needs as well. They receive quality care from the hospice team: the case manager, certified nursing assistants, social worker, chaplain, pharmacist, bereavement staff and volunteers. The patient’s physician oversees the plan of care. If the patient shows improvement in their condition or wishes to return to curative treatment, they many discontinue hospice care at any time.

Myth: Hospice care is for when death is imminent.

Fact: Hospice care is not just for the days or hours leading up to death. The hospice team approach to providing care can enable a person to live life more fully and provide comfort, reduce suffering and preserve dignity. Some people are on hospice care for many months. A person can receive hospice care as long as they qualify.

Myth: A doctor must make a referral for hospice care.

Fact: A patient’s family, caregiver or the patient themselves can call hospice for a consultation to see if they quality for hospice care. Once the evaluation is complete, the admission team members collaborate with the patient’s physician to determine if the patient meets the criteria. If the patient would not meet the criteria for starting hospice services, another option would be palliative care.

Palliative Care—What is It

Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing patients relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness, no matter the diagnosis or stage of the disease. The palliative care teams aim to improve the quality of life for both patients and their families. This form of care is offered alongside curative or other treatments you may be receiving. Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specially trained people. They work with you, your family and your other doctors to provide an extra layer of support that complements your ongoing care. Myths about Palliative Care

Myth: Palliative care means no more treatment.

Fact: When a palliative care team is called into a case or is asked to take over the care of a patient, treatment does not automatically stop. The treatment and therapies can continue, but they have a different goal.

Resources

• California Hospice & Palliative Care Foundation, www. calhospice.org.

• Hospice Helpline, 800-658-8898,

www.caringinfo.org.

• Southern California Hospice Foundation, 877-661-0087, www.socalhospicefoundation. com.

People can visit the display rack in Building 5 for brochures. To make an appointment to learn more about the information here, call Robann Arshat at (562) 431-6586, ext. 317.