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...]
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...]
Caring for a Loved One who is in the process of passing
Caring for a dying loved one isn't easy. Even when you know the end of life is approaching, you might not feel prepared. Understanding what to expect — and what you can do to increase your loved one's comfort — can help. Choosing where to die Your loved one might have choices for end-of-life care. Options might include: Home care. Many people choose to die at home or in the home of a … [Read more...]
Hospice Care
Considered tho be the model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a life- limiting illness or injury, hospice care involves a team- oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's needs and wishes. Support is provided to the patient's loved ones as well. At the center of hospice and palliative care is … [Read more...]
Houston Hospice explains what is grief and bereavement
Grief may be experienced in response to physical losses, such as death, or in response to symbolic or social losses such as divorce of loss of a job. The grief experience can be affected by one's history and support system. Taking care of yourself and accessing the support of friends and family can help you cope with your grief experience. There is no right way to grieve. It is an individual … [Read more...]
Most people choosing Hospice at life’s end
People facing a fatal illness often find their fears and pain exacerbated by lack of control -- with doctors poking and prodding and treating and testing even as the end grows near. Hospice care, however, can give back some control over someone's final days through its compassionate focus on treating pain and helping both the dying person and the person's family emotionally grapple with what's … [Read more...]
Getting help for your grief
Losing someone close to you can make you feel sad, lost, alone, and maybe even angry. You greatly miss the person who has died—you want them back. You might have also been so busy with caregiving that it now seems you have nothing to do. This can add to your feelings of loss. This is all part of grieving, a normal reaction to the loss of someone you love. There are many ways to grieve and to … [Read more...]
End of life helping with comfort care
At the end of life, each story is different. Death comes suddenly, or a person lingers, gradually failing. For some older people, the body weakens while the mind stays alert. Others remain physically strong, and cognitive losses take a huge toll. But for everyone, death is inevitable, and each loss is personally felt by those close to the one who has died. End-of-life care is the term used to … [Read more...]