What is Hospice?

Article submitted by Canon Hospice.
For more information, they can be reached at 225-926-1404.

Hospice care is for people who are terminally ill and have a limited life expectancy that can be defined in weeks and months rather than years. The patients who come to hospice have reached a point in their illness where nothing further can be done as far as curative measures; either that or they have chosen to seek no further aggressive measures for care.

Anyone can refer a patient to hospice, but ultimately, the physician must give an order for care. Each patient and family is looked at individually and a specially designed plan of care is devised. Hospice services are managed by an interdisciplinary team which includes the following:

• Patient
• Family
• Physician
• Nurses
• Chaplains
• Volunteers
• Social Workers
• Certified Nursing Assistants

Hospice can be provided on several different levels of care: home hospice care, inpatient hospice care, respite care and continuous care. Care can occur in the home, nursing home or inpatient hospice facility. Hospice care is paid for my Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance.

It is the mission of hospice to continually educate the general public and the medical community on the availability of these services for end of life care. Hospice is not giving up. Hospice is about making "every moment meaningful" and providing comfort, dignity, and joining hands with our patients and families for this journey.