- Advanced Directives
- Dying with Dignity
- Hospice & Palliative Care: The Difference
- Hospitalization
- Injection How-to’s
- Living Wills
- Medicare & Hospice
- Pain Management
- Powers of Attorney
- Terminal Illness
Hospice Care: Living with Terminal Illness
Patients and their families are usually overwhelmed when faced with the diagnosis of terminal illness. Many patients are symptom-free until an illness or hospitalization reveals they have a life-limiting condition. Suddenly, everything changes. Feelings of fear, confusion, doubt, and even isolation are common. Major health decisions must be made. Most people are at a loss as to where to turn for guidance. A hospice care team can help you navigate this new terrain. It is never too early to...Read the rest of this article »
What’s the Difference Between Hospice & Palliative Care?
American hospice service started with the Connecticut Hospice in March 1974. Today, there are over 2,884 Medicare-certified hospices, and an additional 200 volunteer hospices in the U.S., with as many as 1.5 million Americans seeking hospice treatment in recent years. As a program designed to facilitate “palliative” care for terminally ill patients and their families—many people wonder, what then is the difference between hospice and palliative care, or are they one in the same? While palliative care addresses patients...Read the rest of this article »
Living with Dementia: How Hospice Care Can Help
What is dementia? And perhaps just as importantly, what isn’t it? In the coming months, I’ll be writing a series of articles on dementia to address the concerns of caregivers and family members who have a loved one living with dementia. Many people think of hospice care as being for the dying, and therefore not appropriate for someone who has “only” been diagnosed with dementia. However, hospice care can help greatly in the day-to-day living of a person with...Read the rest of this article »
The 5 Stages of Dealing with Grief: What to Expect
Hospice provides bereavement care to the patient’s family and friends for at least one year after the patient’s death. Chaplains, social workers and a bereavement counselor provide ongoing support for families dealing with grief. These professionals are experienced in helping others cope with the dying process. Psychiatrist and author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identified the five stages of grief that can be expected when a person is dying or knows someone who is dying. 1. Anger People tend to get angry when...Read the rest of this article »
What You Need to Know About Living Wills: Part 1
I think the only living being who may not have yet heard of the Terri Schiavo case is my cat, Mildred. And, she’s no dummy. In all seriousness though, Schiavo’s case brought to the forefront our own thoughts on end of life, and the myriad moral, political and medical issues it affords. Owing in large part to an overly zealous media, we know the heart-wrenching story of the woman in her twenties who spent 15 years in a senior...Read the rest of this article »
