“Hospice,” first of all, has nothing to do with “hospital.” A hospital strives to cure sick people…and, often, to keep them from dying. The mission of hospice, on the other hand, is to help terminally-ill patients die with dignity, on their own terms. Hospice provides an environment that is warm, compassionate and loving, – not only for the patients, but also for their families.
At hospice, there’s a holistic approach to pain management, which includes emotional and spiritual care. Some hospices have facilities which provide a warm, home-like atmosphere where patients can spend their final days without being poked, prodded, and MRI’ed when there’s virtually no hope of a cure.
But most hospice care isn’t provided in a hospice facility and often is not. Staff can often come to the patient’s home or long-term care facility. (Some long-term care facilities even have their own hospice programs.)
Hospice may be called in by one’s doctor when it is determined that the patient probably has no more than six months to live. Patients often live months and more under hospice care because of the nature of the care. This is when the goal of “cure” is replaced by “comfort,” and a team of chaplains, certified nursing assistants, doctors, registered nurses, and social workers is put together.
This is not just a program for the last days and hours of a person’s life. It is a wonderful program for families who have determined that aggressive treatment is no longer in the patient’s best interest.
Hospice is also concerned with the survivors. Grief counseling is available on both individual and group levels. And it’s helped many a person get back to living, again.
This is a tough time. But you don’t have to go through it alone. At The Law Offices of Alice Reiter Feld & Associates, we can show you the way. Not only at the end of life, but also long before that, with estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, asset protection, long-term care planning, and assistance with Medicaid or the VA. Over the past 35 years, we’ve helped thousands of South Florida families. And we’ve done it with professionalism, compassion, and, when necessary, a soft shoulder.
We’re just a phone call away.
