Comfort care is an essential part of medical care at the end of life. It is care that helps or soothes a person who is dying. The goal is to prevent or relieve suffering as much as possible while respecting the dying person’s wishes. You are probably reading this because someone close to you is dying. Is it a parent or grandparent, your husband or wife, a favorite aunt or uncle, your best … [Read more...]
Blog
Understanding Healthcare decisions
It can be overwhelming to be asked to make health care decisions for someone who is dying and no longer able to make his or her own decisions. It is even more difficult if you do not have written or even verbal guidance. How do you decide what type of care is right for someone? Even when you have written documents, some decisions still might not be clear. Two approaches might be useful. One is … [Read more...]
Dementia at the end of life
As they reach the end of life, people suffering from conditions like Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Parkinson's disease can present special problems for caregivers. People live with these diseases for years, becoming increasingly disabled. Because they do not die soon after they are diagnosed, it can be hard to think of these as terminal diseases. But they do contribute to death. Illnesses like … [Read more...]
What happens when a loved one passes away
When death comes suddenly, there is little time to prepare. On the other hand, watching an older person become increasingly frail may mean that it's hard to know when the end of life begins because changes can happen so slowly. But if you do know death is approaching and understand what will happen, then you do have a chance to plan. Listen carefully to what doctors and nurses are saying. They may … [Read more...]
Five ways Houston Hospice can help
Contact: Debbie Mosbacher 832.408.7999 The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain free as possible. The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient's experience reflects their wishes.Here are five ways that hospice helps to deliver this: Accredited Hospices of America gives you comfort. Hospices are … [Read more...]
Things to do after your loved one passes
Immediately following death, nothing has to be done. Take the time you need to start the grieving process. Some people want to stay in the room with the body; others prefer to leave. You might want to have someone make sure the body is lying flat before the joints become stiff and cannot be moved. This rigor mortis begins sometime during the first hours after death. After the death, how long … [Read more...]
Finding care at the end of life
Decades ago, most people died at home, but medical advances have changed that. Today, most Americans are in hospitals or nursing homes at the end of their lives. Some people enter the hospital to get treated for an illness. Some may already be living in a nursing home. Increasingly, people are choosing hospice care at the end of life. There is no "right" place to die. And, of course, where we … [Read more...]
Hospice care used more, but often too late
Twice as many elderly people died in hospice care as in a hospital or nursing home compared with a decade ago, but hospice is often treated as a last resort — and used too late to benefit patients and their families. The researchers examined Medicare records for 840,000 people 66 or older who died in 2000, 2005 and 2009. They found intensive-care use, hospitalization and the rate of health care … [Read more...]
FAQ About Hospice and Palliative care
Q. What is palliative medicine? A. Palliative medicine is a medical subspecialty provided by doctors who offer palliative care for people who are seriously ill. Palliative care relieves suffering and improves quality of life for people of any age and at any stage in a serious illness, whether that illness is curable, chronic, or life-threatening. Q. What's the difference between palliative … [Read more...]
How social workers fit in
November 12, 2015 Contact: Maria Patino 832.408.7999 maria@accreditedhospicesofamerica.com The social worker is an integral member of Accredited Hospices of America team. As trained professionals, our first family upon entering the hospice program. Going forward we represent the individual/family's wishes at every hospice team meeting. At the initial evaluation out goal is to … [Read more...]