Hospice care is designed to provide compassionate and specialized care for individuals who are in the final stages of a life-limiting illness or approaching the end of their life. Admission to hospice typically occurs when medical professionals determine that a patient’s prognosis is limited and curative treatments are no longer effective or desired. Here are some common reasons why someone might be admitted to a hospice and what typically happens during this process:
Terminal Illness
The most common reason for hospice admission is a terminal illness, such as advanced cancer, end-stage heart or lung disease, or late-stage neurodegenerative conditions like Motor Neurone Disease. When curative treatments are no longer effective or when the patient decides to discontinue them, hospice care becomes an option to make the dying process more comfortable whilst still enabling you to live life the way you want.
Limited Life Expectancy
Physicians estimate that a patient has a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness follows its normal course. This prognosis is a general guideline, and patients may stay in hospice care longer if their condition doesn’t deteriorate as quickly as anticipated.
Palliative Care Focus
Hospice care shifts the focus from curative treatments to palliative care, which aims to provide comfort and pain management. It helps improve the patient’s quality of life during their remaining time.
Dying at Home
Hospice care can be provided at home, allowing patients to remain in a familiar and comfortable environment. Home hospice is often a preferred choice for patients and their families.
Support for the Family
Hospice care provides comprehensive support to not only the patient but also their family and caregivers. This support includes counseling, guidance, and bereavement services.
Respite
With any of the above, you can be admitted for respite. For example, if you are being cared for at home but your caregivers need a break, a respite stay at the hospice can be arranged. My first child, Amy, had a life-limiting condition and we often used the children’s hospice for respite. We had the option to stay with her or to leave her with them. We then used the hospice when she was unwell and it was during one of those stays that she died. You can read more about Amy’s story here.
What Happens During the Hospice Admission Process
- Assessment: A medical professional, often a hospice nurse or doctor, assesses the patient’s condition and discusses their goals and preferences for care. The assessment includes a physical evaluation and a discussion of symptoms, pain levels, and emotional well-being.
- Development of a Care Plan: Based on the assessment, a personalized care plan is created. This plan outlines the specific services and interventions needed to address the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Once in place, for future admissions (if used for respite) this can be adapted.
- Pain and Symptom Management: Hospice teams are skilled in pain and symptom management. They work to keep the patient as comfortable as possible by addressing pain, nausea, shortness of breath, and other distressing symptoms.
- Care Team: A care team, which may include nurses, home health aides, social workers, counselors, and volunteers, provides care tailored to the patient’s needs. This team communicates with the patient’s primary care physician to ensure continuity of care.
- Family Involvement: Hospice care often involves educating and supporting the patient’s family and caregivers. This may include training on how to provide care, administer medications, and manage pain.
- Regular Assessments: The hospice team conducts regular assessments to evaluate the patient’s condition and adjust the care plan as needed. This ensures that the care provided is responsive to the patient’s changing needs.
- Emotional and Spiritual Support: Hospice care also addresses the emotional and spiritual well-being of the patient and their family. Counselors and chaplains are available to provide support and guidance.
- Bereavement Support: Hospice care continues to support the family after the patient’s passing, offering grief counseling and resources to help them through the grieving process.
Hospice care is a compassionate and holistic approach to end-of-life care, focusing on enhancing the quality of life for patients during their final journey. It provides comfort, support, and dignity to those facing life-limiting illnesses, offering both the patient and their loved ones the opportunity to make the most of the time they have left.
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