What is the Goal of Hospice Care?

At its core, hospice is a philosophy of care, not a specific place. It is a comprehensive support system for patients with a life-limiting illness and their families. The primary goal is to manage symptoms and enhance comfort so that a person’s final chapter can be lived as fully and peacefully as possible.

Hospice care focuses on:

• Comfort Over Cure: Expertly managing pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, and other symptoms to ensure the patient is comfortable.
• Quality of Life: Helping the patient to live their remaining days with dignity, on their own terms, and in the comfort of their chosen home.
• Holistic Support: Providing emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial support that extends to the entire family.

Common Signs That It May Be Time to Consider Hospice

While a physician must formally certify that a patient is medically appropriate for hospice (typically with a life expectancy of six months or less), there are several signs that families can look for when considering if the time is right.

• Frequent hospitalizations or trips to the emergency room.
• A significant decline in the ability to perform daily activities like eating, bathing, and dressing.
• Pain, nausea, or breathing issues that have become difficult to control.
• Significant, unintentional weight loss and a loss of appetite.
• The patient has expressed a wish to stop curative treatments.
• Increased time spent sleeping or resting in a bed or chair.

Dispelling Common Myths About Hospice

Misconceptions can often create fear and delay this important conversation. Let's clear up a few common myths.

Myth #1: "Hospice means giving up hope."

• Truth: Hospice redefines hope. The focus shifts from the hope of a cure to the hope for a peaceful, pain-free day, for meaningful conversations with family, and for a dignified end-of-life journey.

Myth #2: "Hospice is only for the last few days of life."

• Truth: Patients can receive hospice care for six months or longer. In fact, many families express that they wish they had started hospice sooner to take full advantage of the wide range of support it offers for both the patient and the family.

Myth #3: "You have to give up your own doctor."

• Truth: The hospice team works in close partnership with your loved one's primary physician, who remains a central part of the care team and continues to direct their care.

A Team Approach to End-of-Life Care

Hospice provides an entire interdisciplinary team that wraps around your family to provide layers of support. This team includes:

• Hospice Nurses who are experts in pain and symptom management.
• Hospice Aides who assist with personal care like bathing and dressing.
• Spiritual Counselors who support the spiritual needs of the patient and family, whatever their beliefs may be.
• Volunteers who can provide companionship, sit with a patient to give a caregiver a break, or run errands.
• Grief Counseling and Bereavement services that support the family for up to a year after their loved one has passed.

A Compassionate Partner on a Difficult Journey

Making this decision is never easy, but you don't have to make it alone. Our dedicated hospice teams are here to provide answers, guidance, and unwavering support.

The compassionate hospice programs at Advanced Home Health and Hospice in California and Advanced Home Health Services in Texas are designed to walk alongside your family every step of the way.

If you believe it may be time to discuss hospice for your loved one, please contact us. We are here to answer your questions with compassion and without pressure.