Benefits and misconceptions of Hospice

Hospice care is provided to patients with a life expectancy of six months or less. Hospice care aims to make a person’s remaining time with us as comfortable and as meaningful as possible rather than seek a cure. This may mean pain relief, managing symptoms and nursing care, as well as emotional support and help with everyday tasks. Hospice care can be in a patient’s home, hospital or long term care facility. A team of professionals work together to reach these goals.
Hospice not only cares for patients, but cares the family, friends, and caregivers and offers them support through this journey with expert advice and provide services to assist with caring for a loved one.
There are many misconceptions about hospice and patients and families are very leery about the service. The biggest misconception surrounding hospice care is that once a patient is on hospice they only have days or a few weeks of life. Signing on to hospice doesn’t mean it’s time to give up.  Another one is that morphine hastens death. Morphine which is an opioid is used to manage pain and shortness of breath. Before morphine is initiated, patients are treated with other forms of comfort.

Some reliable sources to reference are the following:

On the website Virtual Hospice, it explains that morphine is an opioid that helps maintain a person’s comfort during the disease and dying process. The person would decline with or without the use of morphine. The morphine just keeps the patient comfortable during the process to manage pain and respiratory distress issues.

The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care report that there is little evidence that the use of opioids or morphine at end of life hastens death. Opioids do cause respiratory depression, but when administered correctly at end of life, this practice doesn’t lead to earlier death.

An article published in Science Daily states that evidence shows when morphine is used correctly if doesn’t shorten death. It is absorbed into a person’s system very quickly and also wears off quickly, therefore well tolerated and doesn’t make patients unconscious. The consensus is that patient’s decline at end of life is happening whether they are administered morphine or not.

Hospice care encompasses compassion, care, service, and emotional counsel for patients and families. Hospice care does not stop with the end of life. Bereavement support is offered for the ones left behind through support groups, meeting with grief counselors, and other therapeutic services. These programs are tailored for all age groups from young children to the elderly.
Benefits of Hospice/Palliative Care.

BENEFITS OF HOSPICE
• Palliative Care for patients who choose to optimize their comfort and quality of life.
• Hospice Care for patient’s life-limiting conditions who want to be cared for at home or in a skilled nursing environment.
• Nurses who visit regularly to provide support, monitor symptoms and act as a liaison with PCP to try and prevent hospitalizations.
• Hospice aides to provide assistance with ADLs.
• End of Life Counseling to address how the patient and family prepare and cope with the end of life.
• Spiritual Care in the home.
• Bereavement Counseling
• Volunteers can provide companionship, respite, run errands, provide transportation.
• Pet therapy
• Complementary Therapies such as massage, healing touch, reiki, and reflexology