What is Hospice?

Article submitted by Sue May, Canon Hospice. She can be contacted at 504-818-2723.

Hospice care is for people who are terminally and have a limited life expectancy that can be defined in weeks and months rather than years. Patients who come to hospice have reached a point in their illness where either nothing further can be done as far as curative measures, 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:

The patient, family, and physician; a nurse, certified nursing assistant, chaplain, social worker, and a volunteer. Hospice can be provided on several different levels of care: Home hospice care, inpatient care, respite care, and continuous care. Care can occur in the home, nursing home, or inpatient hospice facility. Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurances pay for hospice care. Another mission of hospice is to continually educate the general public and medical community on the availability of hospice service 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.