12/8/2020 You hear the word "hospice", how do you feel?

Hey sweet friend, my name is Christa and I am a Hospice Field Aide. If you are reading this blog you probably know someone in Hospice or are trying to learn more about it. It is my passion to help people understand Hospice and what it is in our current day and age and all the things it has to offer.

The first modern hospice in the US was founded in 1974, and the Medicare Hospice Benefit was introduced in the 1980s. The first truly modern hospices, which aimed at more than simply providing a roof over a patient’s head, food, and basic care, were opened in the 1950s and 60s. Not only was comfort and pain management central to the daily life of a patient, but also emotional and spiritual support.

Home care also became a focus. The idea that patients should spend their last days in a hospital was challenged and replaced with a broader range of options that included home care.

Today, hospice services offer a broad range of services for those given a terminal illness diagnosis. It i my hope that by writing these blogs, people can become more aware of all the goodness that Hospice has to offer now!

Even though hospice has come so far in its services since it first began, I find, there is till such a bad stigma around the word "hospice". Often, when people hear the word "hospice", they automatically associate it with weeks or even days left to a persons life. Often times this can be true. I think the reason people find them selves in that "crisis care" situation though, is from lack of knowledge of all that hospice has to offer. I can't tell you how many times I have watched peoples reaction to that word, "hospice". If they don't say it outloud their faces almost always tell the way they feel instantly. It is like a sadness and dread washes over them. It makes you want to give them a big hug!

BUT....YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEEL THAT WAY...

Hospice in current day has many services to offer that can make your journey with a terminal illness more of a marathon than a sprint to the finish. Most hospices offer many levels of service. There is Palliative Care where you sign up with hospice and they work along side your doctors providing care as you still seek curative treatments. There are special teams that offer care for children with terminal illnesses. There is Home Hospice for those who have decided they no longer want to or are unable to continue with treatment for their illness. There also is Hospice for those living in facilities such as Assisted Living, Independent Living, Skilled Nursing, Memory Care, and Rehab Facilities.

You may be asking "so if the person is not dying or is still going to the doctors for treatment, what is the purpose of hospice coming now?" The answer.....to be in place help, assist with care, provide supplies and medications needed brought right to their door. They are there to work as a complete team for that patient. It gives them a nurse that works directly with their team of doctors, care aide services as needed to help with personal hygiene and activities of daily living, access to social workers to help them navigate insurance, medicare, references to extra help and family dynamics or questions about end of life arrangements, a chaplain to help with spiritual matters.

As a hospice field aide or hospice CNA I have seen many, many different scenarios of sweet peoples journey with Hospice. I can tell you the hardest ones are the ones that come in sometimes days or even hours before death and it is a crisis. The family is stressed and scrambling while trying to care for their loved one as best they know how. The patients pain often isn't being managed properly and their loved ones just don't know how to care for them. It is sad a very stressful. The families are so over extended, exhausted and stressed that they don't have the proper time to spend those final moments with their loved ones.

The patients that come in early, in my opinion, have a much easier journey. There is time for everyone. The patients and their families get the full benefit from Hospice. They get guidance and have an opportunity to learn. I mean, lets get real....if I told you to go change the soiled brief on your 90 year old mother who is bedridden, in pain with movement and is not able to help you....would you know how? The answer is probably no.

I guess my point to all of this, if you haven't caught on already, is DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE WORD HOSPICE! It is such a powerful and helpful resource if you use it for what it is. Help. Help at the hardest moments of life.

THANKS FOR READING......stay tuned for more. Sign up for emails if you would like a notification when my latest is posted!

*the things written in my blog are for information purposes only. They are my opinions and views on the subject. They are in no way meant to be taken as medical advice or diagnosis. I am passionate about what I do and want to share to help others navigate some of the most difficult times in life.