Hospice Care - The Myths, the Reality

Article submitted by Donna Oviedo, Senior Director of Admissions at VITAS Innovative Hospice Care(r) of San Antonio.
For more information, they can be reached at 1-800-938-4827, or visit the website of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: www.nhpco.org,  or the website of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care: www.vitas.com.

If you or a loved one were facing a terminal illness, would you know what options are available to you and your family? Many of us may think that we will not face death anytime soon, so the question is irrelevant.

In reality, however, nearly half of the U.S. population will be touched each year by the death of a friend, family member or colleague at work. One of the challenges that all hospice caregivers face is to help dispel those myths and reassure patients and families about the realities of effective end-of-life care.

Consider the following myths, which many individuals think are true.

Myth #1: Hospice is a place.

Reality: Hospice isn't a place. It's the aggressive treatment of physical and emotional pain and symptoms at the end of life, which also is known as palliative care. Research has shown that more than three-quarters of all Americans, if given the choice, would prefer to die at home, in comfortable and familiar surroundings, accompanied by family and friends. Hospice is designed to respect that desire.

Myth #2: Hospice means giving up on the terminally ill.

Reality: When medical treatments cannot cure a disease, the interdisciplinary team of hospice professionals can do a great deal to control pain, reduce anxiety and provide medical, spiritual and emotional comfort to patients and their families. Our goal is to do everything we can to improve the quality of life for our patients and their loved ones. We work to ease the discomfort, the fears and the high expense that can accompany incurable illness.

Myth #3: Hospice is just for cancer patients.

Reality: Hospice provides care for adult and pediatric patients with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses, including but not limited to cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, liver disease, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and AIDS.

Myth #4: Hospice isn't much more than just hand-holding at the bedside of the terminally ill.

Reality: Hospice actually is much more. It is the aggressive treatment of physical and emotional pain and symptoms. Hospice care is provided by a highly skilled team of palliative care experts, including: a physician, nurses, home health aides, social workers, a chaplain, bereavement specialist and volunteers.

Myth #5: Hospice care is expensive.

Reality: The vast majority of hospice patients, as you might expect, are elderly and, therefore, Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Hospice Benefit is all-inclusive-covering 100 percent of the cost of hospice care. There are no deductibles; there are no out-of-pocket expenses to patients or their loved ones. Families don't have to spend themselves into poverty to qualify for hospice coverage. In most states, including Texas, Medicaid also provides hospice coverage. Most private insurance plans also include a hospice benefit.