The hospice team treats the whole person. This means hospice treats physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. Hospice doesn't just manage pain. It shows patients how to best cope with the illness. The team also offers counseling, grief support, and family support. Hospice care is provided by a core group of professionals. Most hospice teams also have counselors, therapists, and other … [Read more...]
Blog
Is Hospice Right for You?
The answer is that it depends. Hospice is put in place when a patient has six months or less to live and that is determined by a doctor in order to certify it. If you have a terminal illness or Alzheimer's you may very well qualify, but you will need to be approved first. Hospices will send out a doctor to see you and admit you in the event you do qualify. … [Read more...]
End of Life Developmental Milestones and Tasks
Below is a framework from Dr. Ira Byock that outlines some of the issues many people can comtemplate as they approach the end. Sense of completion with worldly affairsSense of completion in relationships with communitySense of meaning about one's individual lifeExperiencing self loveExperiencing love of othersSense of completion in relationships with family and friendsAcceptance of the finality … [Read more...]
A Journey Through Grief
As you go through the stages of grief, everyone experiences it differently. Everyone is unique and the relationships we build are unique as well. Only you know how to feel in the moment. You may have heard about the stages of grieving. It doesn't exactly work that way. You may feel completely different as each day passes with no discernable pattern. You can start to feel out of control or … [Read more...]
Understanding Hospice
We’re pleased to provide Understanding Hospice, an educational series we plan to post over the next few months that will outline different aspects of hospice care such as: What is Hospice? Key Questions and Concerns About Hospice Truths About Hospice Importance of Self Care for Caregivers and more! Be sure to Like our FaceBook page where we’ll let you know we’ve posted a … [Read more...]
The Idea of a “Good Death”
No one likes to think or talk about death and dying. But it's a reality we all face-more and more people are taking charge of how they will live out their final days. This becoming known as the "good death." Through life, we want to have as many new experiences as possible but in the end what really matters are the simple things. This is found in many cultures and known as socioemotional … [Read more...]
The History of Hospice
The term hospice is derived for the word "hospitality." Dating back to medieval times, it was know as a place where ill travelers could stay during their journey. It was until 1948 was the term "hospice" used in medicine. Dame Cicely Saunders created the first modern hospice in London, St. Christopher's Hospice. Here is a timeline of the history of hospice. 1965: Florence Wald, then Dean of … [Read more...]
Hospice and Cultural Consideration
Houston is known for being the top city for cultural diversity, passing New York City and Los Angeles. Understanding how different cultures approach death is very important. Through hospice, we provide grief services for everyone involved, but cultural practices are often overlooked. There are many transitions that happen at the end of life and through these transitions there things you should … [Read more...]
7 Hospice Myths and Misconceptions
Hospice care isn’t always the easiest thing to talk about and many people don’t have a clear idea what hospice actually is. Even after 25 years, most Americans aren’t aware of the advantages hospice brings. This mostly comes from our country’s resistance to talk about death. However, hospice is undoubtedly this best choice for end of life care. Not only for the patient, but the family as well. … [Read more...]
Family’s feelings about cancer
Contact: Maria Patino houstonhospices.com May 23, 2016 People usually need time to sort out feelings before they can be expressed and shared in the way they want. During this time, friends and family members may be the targets of their loved one’s strong, overwhelming feelings that need to be vented. If you are the target of anger and frustration, remember you’re not the cause of … [Read more...]
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