1. When should a decision about entering A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care be made and who should make it?
At any time during a life-limiting illness, it’s appropriate to discuss all of a patient’s care options, including hospice and palliative care. By law the decision belongs to the patient. A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care, like most hospices, accepts patients who have a life-expectancy of six months or less, providing the disease follows its normal course, and who are referred by their personal physician.
2. Should I wait for our physician to raise the possibility of hospice, or should I raise it first?
The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice and palliative care at any time with their physician, other health care professionals, clergy or friends.
3. Is all hospice care the same?
No. Most communities have more than one hospice, and you will find this to be true of the Treasure Valley. Medicare requires certified hospices provide a basic level of care, but the quantity and quality of all services can vary significantly from one hospice to another. To find the best hospice and palliative care organization for your needs, ask your doctor, healthcare professionals, clergy, social workers or friends who have received care for a family member. You may want to call or meet with different hospices and ask questions about their services. A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care provides superior care that is personal and individualized, tailored to meet the needs of each of our patients and their family members.
4. Can a hospice patient who shows signs of recovery be returned to regular medical treatment?
Certainly. If the patient’s condition improves and the disease seems to be in remission, patients can “graduate” from hospice and return to aggressive therapy or go on about their daily life. If the discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most private insurance will allow additional coverage for this purpose.
5. What does the hospice admission process involve?
One of the first things A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care will do is contact the patient’s physician to make sure he or she agrees that hospice and palliative care is appropriate for this patient at this time. A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care has a medical director who is a family practice physician, specializing in care of the elderly. He is available to help patients who have no physician. The patient will then be asked to sign consent and insurance forms. These are similar to the forms patients sign when they enter a hospital. The form Medicare patients sign also tells how electing the Medicare hospice benefit affects other Medicare coverage.
6. Is there any special equipment or changes I have to make in my home before hospice care begins?
A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care will assess your needs, recommend any equipment, and help make arrangements to obtain any necessary equipment. Often the need for equipment is minimal at first and increases as the disease progresses. In general, A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care will assist in any way we can to make home care as convenient, clean and safe as possible.
7. How many family members or friends does it take to care for a patient at home?
There’s no set number. One of the first things A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care will do is to prepare an individualized care plan that will, among other things, address the amount of caregiving needed by the patient. Our staff visit regularly and are always accessible to answer medical questions, 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
8. Must someone be with the patient at all times?
In the early weeks of care, it’s usually not necessary for someone to be with the patient all the time. Later, however, since one of the most common fears of patients is the fear of dying alone, A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care generally recommends someone be there continuously. While family and friends do deliver most of the care, A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care has volunteers to assist with errands and to provide a break and time away for primary caregivers, as needed.
9. What specific assistance does hospice provide home-based patients?
Hospice patients are cared for by a team consisting of a physician, a nurse, a social worker, a certified nursing assistant, a chaplain, therapists (as needed), and volunteers. Each one provides assistance based on his or her own area of expertise. In addition, A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care provides medications, supplies, equipment, and other services related to the terminal illness.
10. Does hospice do anything to make death come sooner?
A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care neither hastens nor postpones dying. In fact, it has been proven that patients often live longer on hospice than patients who are not on hospice, simply because of the individualized care and attention they receive. Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise during the time of child birth, A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care offers the presence of experts in care of the dying, and specialized knowledge during the dying process.
11. Is caring for the patient at home the only place hospice care can be delivered?
No. Patients of A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care receive care in their personal residences, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and hospitals. We go to the patient – wherever that may be.
12. How does hospice “manage pain”?
A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care believes that emotional and spiritual pain are just as real and in need of attention as physical pain, so we address each of these areas. Our nurses and doctor are up to date on the latest medications and devices for pain and symptom relief. In addition, physical and occupational therapists can assist patients to be as mobile and self sufficient as they wish, and they are sometimes joined by specialists schooled in music therapy, art therapy, massage and diet counseling. Finally, various counselors, including clergy, are available to assist family members as well as patients through the emotionally and spiritually challenging times that accompany the loss of a life.
13. What is hospice’s success rate in battling pain?
Very high. Using some combination of medications, counseling and therapies, most patients attain a solid level of comfort throughout their stay in hospice. Pain management is a key component of hospice and palliative care, so this is carefully monitored and managed by A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care staff.
14. Will medications prevent the patient from being able to talk or know what’s happening?
Usually not. It is the goal of A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care to have the patient as pain free and alert as possible. By constantly consulting with the patient, we have been very successful in reaching this goal.
15. Is hospice affiliated with any religious organization?
No. While some churches and religious groups have started hospices (sometimes in connection with their hospitals), these hospices serve a broad community and do not require patients to adhere to any particular set of beliefs. A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care is not affiliated with any religious organization, but strives to meet the spiritual needs of the patient and family, regardless of what those beliefs embrace.
16. Is hospice care covered by insurance?
Hospice coverage is widely available. It is provided by Medicare nationwide, by Medicaid in Idaho (and 46 other states), and by most private insurance providers. To be sure of coverage, families should, of course, check with their employer or health insurance provider.
17. If the patient is eligible for Medicare, will there be any additional expense to be paid?
The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers the full scope of medical and support services for a life-limiting illness. Hospice care also supports the family and loved ones of the person through a variety of services. This benefit covers almost all aspects of hospice care with little expense to the patient or family.
18. If the patient is not covered by Medicare or any other health insurance, will hospice still provide care?
The first thing A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care will do is assist families in finding out whether the patient is eligible for any coverage they may not be aware of. Barring this, A Better Way Home Hospice & Palliative Care will do all we can to help provide for anyone who cannot pay, by accessing money raised from the community or from memorial or foundation gifts.
19. Does hospice provide any help to the family after the patient dies?
A Better Way Home provides continuing contact and support for caregivers and family members for a minimum of 13 months following the death of a loved one. We also offer access to bereavement groups and support for anyone in the community who has experienced the death of a family member, friend, or similar loss.
For more information please contact our Boise Hospice & Palliative care center at 208.322.4663
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