This group has helped me in some many of my questions with my 96 year old Mom. From living at home with care during the day in January 2019 to 24/7 care at home to now living at a Memory Care place (that was fast to me!) She is doing ok with her medical problems of CHF and fluid in her legs to go with Dementia (no staging done yet). She refuses her meds from time to time but they are working on that. Other than anxiety issues, she has good days (and bad) but she can eat and take care of her personal needs. The Medical team has just suggested Hospice to begin to provide an extra level of care. I was pretty excited about it until I read that the people who qualify for Hospice usually only have 6 months to live. They told me that they do have people who have been on Hospice 1.5 to even 2 years. I don't see Mom as only having 6 months to live - maybe, maybe not. Anyone have experience with Hospice? I hope it's a good thing - evaluation is tomorrow.
FYI - If you are new to this group - it is the best support I have found. Thank you Aging Care Forum!
I was a hospice nurse in the latter part of my nursing career. Yes, the criteria is that a patient has 6 months to live (but no one can REALLY say when a person’s time has come.)
You mom would qualify due to her medical conditions and her age. No government agency would argue with her going on hospice and I’m sure she’ll be approved. It is a free service.
Check out the ratings for the hospices in your area (yelp, word of mouth, hospital social worker’s opinion, google rating, etc.) and pick the highest rated one.
The services provided by hospice are a hospital bed, suction machine, diapers and wipes, comfort meds, doctor checks, nurse checks (vitals, pain assessment, etc.) , home health aide (bathing), chaplain, music therapist, etc.
Please understand that by signing up for hospice you agree to have your mom’s care handled by hospice. The only time she would go to the hospital would be for “comfort care” NOT treatment of her conditions. If she would be admitted to the hospital, hospice would be stopped until she was back at home or the facility. She would need to be signed up again.
Make sure you read what is offered and discuss everything with a nurse or social worker employed by the hospice you choose.
I have seen patients in hospice for a year or more. I’ve also seen patients “graduate” off hospice and get better.
Hospice can be a great support but you need to read the fine print and understand what you are signing her up for. You can cancel hospice at any time or change to another one.
Good luck.
Mom's doctor was not agreeable to putting her on hospice as he said it's only for those that have 6 months or less to live. The hospice nurse said that wasn't true. Hospice needs to see a decline in mom's health. That decline happened rapidly as she was on hospice for 6 weeks before she passed away.
She still took most of her necessary medications up until a few days before she died. In all reality she looked good and for the most part was herself. Two days before she died, she started having hallucinations and never came out of them. She was having mini strokes during this time. Her brain was dying.
We managed her symptoms with anti anxiety medication and morphine. We were glad that hospice was there to coach us so that she could have a peaceful death.
Best of luck
Hospice and Home Health Care are a Godsend for us! My DH was only accepted for his last 3 days, but they made him so much more comfortable those last 3 days.
My father was accepted on Hospice the day he decided to quit dialysis - and they made him feel like a million bucks his last 5 days on earth.
Truly you are Angels Walking!
Mum had Alzheimer's for 10 years, the last five was severe.
They will help you with supplies and you don't have to take her to doctor appointments. With that respect they are worth their weight in gold. But the family still does 99.5% of the actual physical care. I can't possibly take care of mom without a hospital bed. She is total care. I bought extra things from amazon to help me such as a wedge pillow, which keeps her on her side when I have to clean stooling, or change her diaper which is a LOT. The non-profit hospice supplies me with plenty of diapers and ointments.
My experience with a referral to hospice is that the patient must have a diagnosis of a terminal or chronic illness , in which the
patient is declining in fiction, and meets a specific set of Medicare criteria.
Hospice is not curative care it is comfort care Provides in the home or facility.
When my
mothwr was refrred she she had been struggling with COPD for 10 years in and out of hospital, on and off intubation/ respirators, fluid in lungs with CHF developed diabetes during that time as well. The doctors referred to hospice and said she would be gone in a week to 10 days.
She had had a beautiful 9 months with us instead. She never took any Morphine, or Ativan just her oxygen, and regular meds for her COPD and CHF.
She was able to control her symptoms with minimal interventions.
Hospice care can be the best care. Some individuals will continue to decline but more slowly with hospice care. 6 months is just a starting point.
I could not have done what I did for my Husband without the help of Hospice.
I got Education, Support, Supplies, Equipment, I had a Nurse once a week, a CNA twice a week then as he declined the CNA came in 3 times a week. I had the services of a Social Worker, a Chaplain if I wanted or needed them, Volunteers that could come and sit with him while I went to dinner with friends. (I used a Volunteer a few times)
My Husband was on Hospice for 3 years, actually a month or so over 3 years.
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