Don’t Wait too Long to Call Hospice
I try not to feel anxiety on behalf of those I support. This is challenging when I think of folks approaching end-of-life who have not yet connected with a local hospice organization. Yet, when the topic is raised, so often the terminally ill bristle, and caregiving loved-ones respond “oh no, it’s not that bad yet.” But I implore them to recalibrate their perceptions. Hospice was not created to descend at the last second when death seems imminent. Rather, it is meant to support the dying and their families during the last 6-12 months of life. And, my personal believe is that easy, often free access to hospice is one of the greatest boons of our society.
I was recently helping someone reprocess the passing of their mother. Though she had clearly been drawing nearer to end-of-life during the prior year, hospice was only called upon a sudden, unexpected acceleration of decline. Though the local hospice rallied quickly on a Friday with plans to begin services on Monday, the patient died painfully on Sunday. The family was left alone without resources to help them navigate this arduous final weekend and were traumatized by the experience.
Here are just a few ways hospice care can help:
Eliminates the need to travel to the doctor
Provides a comprehensive plan under one set of caregivers
Provides pain management and counsel for proper use
Educates families and caregivers on what to expect, helping to avoid unnecessary 911 calls, ER visits, etc.
Can provide and handle logistics surrounding a hospital bed, oxygen and other extremely helpful equipment
Can significantly improve quality of life (for patients and caregivers) and even extend life
“Hospice was not created to descend at the very last second when death seems imminent. Rather, it is meant to support the dying and their families during the last 6-12 months of life.”
When I began my hospice training, I expressed surprise that my first patient seemed so far from passing. My work with him felt more like “nursing home visitation,” than end-of-life support. Candidly, I didn’t think that was what I had signed up for. The response to my question was, “if you got a call tomorrow saying your patient had died, would you be surprised?” My answer, and that of almost everyone asked in this situation, was a clear, “no.” And if that is the case, the person in question is absolutely a candidate for hospice care, so long as curative measures to prolong life are ready to be ceased. And even if this isn’t the case, palliative care can accompany ongoing measures to cure and prolong life while providing similar benefits to patients, caregivers and families.
Even if the call to hospice is slightly premature, it’s so much better to have found a local agency, made the call and introduced your case. You’ll be opening the door to a level of end-of-life care and advocacy that leaves most astounded when they experience its ability to transform the experience for everyone it touches.