Does My Loved One Need Hospice Now?

The time when hospice is appropriate is not always clear and easy. Many factors enter into the decision. To be eligible for hospice care, one must have a life expectancy measurable in months and be seeking palliative (comfort) rather than curative care. The life-limiting condition may be due to a specific disease or it may be due to a combination of illnesses. The patient may have experienced multiple emergency room visits or hospitalizations recently to treat the symptoms of the illness.

Making the Decision to Use Hospice
As the course of an illness progresses despite active treatment, patients and families may begin to question the value of the treatments. They begin to evaluate the benefit of continued treatment in relation to its increasing burden. This correlation often becomes more apparent when the rate of the patient’s improvement has declined or stopped.

Some Questions to Ask
Hospice emphasizes patient autonomy and respects individual desires for active treatment. Answering the following questions may help patients and families decide on the care option that best suits their wishes:

• What does the patient want?
• Will various treatment options and interventions increase the length and quality of life?
• What will happen if there is no medical intervention?
• What will make the patient more comfortable?
• Does the patient have a particular goal to accomplish?
  

General Changes That May Indicate A Need for Hospice Care

The patient has multiple medical problems that indicate a limited life expectancy.
The patient may have experienced frequent trips to the emergency room and/or physician office to treat the pain or other symptoms of the illness.
The patient may have lost interest in eating and experienced weight loss, may be less able to maintain usual physical activities and may be experiencing some mental deterioration.
The patient and family do not want to pursue aggressive treatment for the terminal illness.

Common Illnesses Benefiting from Hospice Care

Hospice of Green Country provides end-of-life care to patients who are in the last stages of any illness, including:

Why Choose Hospice of Green Country?

Hospice of Green Country can help patients and families adjust to one of the most difficult times in life.

Hospice of Green Country:

• Specializes only in hospice care; the staff is comprised of experts from every healthcare discipline. These professionals receive ongoing training to ensure the best patient care techniques are utilized.
• Serves people of every faith and belief system. Hospice of Green Country chaplains work in conjunction with the patient’s beliefs and /or faith community to offer the spiritual support so often necessary to those facing end-of-life issues.
• Provides continuing support for families to assist with the grief and adjustment issues through counseling, education and other programs offered through the Grief Assistance Program. 
• Offers the only Live Alone Program, allowing patients who care for themselves or spend much of their time alone access to hospice services.
• Is the only hospice agency in the area invited to hold membership in the Tulsa Area United Way and Rogers County United Way.
• Is the area’s oldest, multi-cultural and multi-faith, community-based non-profit hospice.
   

If you have any questions about whether someone is appropriate for hospice care, please call Hospice of Green Country at (918) 747-2273 or Click Here to fill out our Contact Us form to answer your questions whether someone is appropriate for hospice care.