Hospice Care
Hospice Care
The Concept Of Hospice Care
The idea of hospice started in Great Britain in the 1960s, where giving complete, end-of-life care was being used for the terminally ill. Eventually, the concept reached the United States in the 1970s, and not only was hospice care made available in hospice facilities, but it was also being practiced in the patient’s home setting. As the movement proliferated, lobbyists started to search for funding for the activity. This then resulted in the Medicare Hospice Benefit in 1982. The Medicare benefit has become the foundation of the hospice model of care in the United States ad as a model for Medicaid and private insurance provision and reimbursement.
So what exactly is hospice care? The philosophy of hospice is basically care. The concept embraces death as an inevitable part of life. The aim of hospice care is to allow patients to carry on with the most fulfilling life possible with the littlest possible amount of pain and suffering. Thus, hospice care is also about controlling symptoms so that the patient’s last days will be lived with quality and dignity. Hospice is not about quickening the process of dying nor does it necessarily lengthen one’s life. Rather, hospice is about treating the patient him/herself and not the illness. It concentrates on lifting his/her quality of life. Hospice care almost always involves family and other loved ones when it comes to agreeing on certain decisions. Care is given for the patient and family every single day. Hospice care can take place in a hospital, nursing home, private medical facility or the patient’s home.
Hospice care can be provided for just about anyone. Mainly, people who receive hospice care have cancer. However, hospice is accessible for those who have any terminal illness, such as dementia, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Generally, hospice is designed for people who have gone through medical exams and have 6 months or less to survive, as analyzed by a doctor. This is the basis that Medicare conforms by, as it generally pays for hospice care.
Hospice experts believe that the longer a patient is in hospice care, the higher the probability of a calm and fulfilling experience. Waiting for the last minute to experience high-quality care can be traumatic for both the patient and his/her family and friends. No one has to face death with prolonged pain and suffering.
So what’s the difference between hospice and palliative care? Of course, there are many similarities between the two, such as the aim to provide physical as well as emotional spiritual assurance, decisions based on personal requirements, care for both patient and loved ones, and the best advice upon making choices. When someone is diagnosed with a debilitating and progressing illness that compromises life, we may request palliative care while a treatment regimen is being applied. Considering palliative care early on will aid in making clear decisions and looking at available options that may improve the patient’s current experience. When a patient goes through the later stages of the progressive sickness, and doctors have evaluated the situation and given a timeframe or life expectancy, then this is where hospice care comes in the picture. Hospice is about benefiting from the present with compassionate care and understanding, rather than trying to control the outcome of the disease.
