Choosing Hospice Care

Download a copy of Consider the Choices Guide

 

Most of us prefer comfort to any level of discomfort. As our bodies begin to fail, whether from age or disease, comfort, quality of life, dignity and time with loved ones should become our top priorities.  No one is ever glad to hear that the focus needs to shift from curing to caring, but in many cases, for people of many ages and stages, that time does come. Naturally, it can bring sadness, disbelief, and even, anger.

 

If you or someone you love has been ill and has recently been in and out of the hospital, with no real improvement in their condition, it might be a sign that it is time to change the focus to comfort and quality of life. If you or someone you love has been able to control symptoms associated with an illness for a period of time, but recently it has taken frequent medication or dosage changes to affect control, it might be a sign that it is time to change the focus to comfort and quality of life. Perhaps they have even expressed a desire not to return to the hospital – to be able to remain at home surrounded by the life they have built over the years. Perhaps we need to listen.

 

Choosing hospice does not mean that it is time to give up or lose hope. It is simply a time to shift gears and concentrate our energies on living every moment, enjoying the people we love and the life we have.

Flo Vance Sharing her choice of Home Hospice

If you’re wondering if it’s time for hospice, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Do I or my loved one want aggressive curative treatment with little hope of success?
  2. Are current treatments truly restoring health or extending the dying process?
  3. Are the burdens associated with my treatment plan more than I want to bear?
  4. What are our priorities at this time? What is most important to me? To my family?
  5. Are we spending more time in the doctor’s office or hospital than with one another?

 

Your answers to these questions may suggest that perhaps it’s time to let our hospice team work with you toward maximum comfort and quality of life, time to find support and guidance for both the patient and the family caregivers, and time to focus on friends and family saying and doing what is most important.

 

Home Hospice has asked one of our patients to help you see the life and living that is offered through comfort care. To contact us for more information, please call 903-868-9315 or email us at info.hospice@homehospice.org

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