Eight Messages About Hospice Care

More than 1.4 million people were served by the nation’s hospice programs last year. Yet for every person that received hospice care, it is estimated that another individual would have benefited from the services of hospice but didn’t get this compassionate care at the end of their life.

There are eight key messages about hospice care that everyone, healthcare professionals and the public alike, should understand.

1. Hospice is not a place but a special kind of care focusing on relief of pain, symptom control, and spiritual and emotional support. Care goes out to the patient and family caregivers.

2. Hospice is not about “giving up” but instead focuses on quality of life making the wishes of the patient and family caregivers a priority.

3. The majority of hospice care takes place in the home, where the person can be surrounded by family and familiar settings. Yet inpatient services are available if symptoms cannot be properly attended to at home.

4. Hospice costs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid in most states, and by most insurance programs and HMOs.

5. The expenses of all medicines related to the life-limiting illness are covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

6. Hospice provides support and caregiving training to family caregivers in the home.

7. Bereavement support is available to families for a year after the death of their loved one.

8. The most common statement made by families who chose hospice for their loved one is, “we wish we had known about hospice sooner.”

If a person isn’t facing decisions about care at the end of life for themselves or a family member, it’s likely that a close friend, neighbor or coworker is struggling with these difficult issues.

If you would like to pursue a story on this important type of care for people facing life-limiting illness, Hospice Care Corporation would be pleased to provide additional input, and connect you with staff, volunteers, and family members that we’ve served who can illustrate the benefits of hospice.

Cynthia Woodyard
Vice President of Public Affairs and Access
Hospice Care Corporation

Hospice Provides What Americans Want

The hospice philosophy holds that end-of-life care should emphasize quality of life. The object is to treat the whole person and not the disease. A nationwide Gallup survey conducted for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization produced five key outcomes:

1. Nine out of 10 adults would prefer to be cared for at home rather than in a hospital or nursing home if diagnosed with a terminal illness. Hospice does provide the option of being cared for at a place the patient calls home: 96% of hospice care is provided in the patient’s home or place they call home.
2. An overwhelming majority of adults said they would be interested in the comprehensive program of care at home that hospice programs provide, yet most Americans know little or nothing about their eligibility for or availability of hospice.
   
3. When asked to name their greatest fear associated with death, respondents most cited “being a burden to family and friends,” followed by “pain” and “lack of control.” Addressing the whole range of physical and psychological needs of the patient and his or her family in an interdisciplinary way is what makes hospice care so special.
   
4. 90% of adults believe it is the family’s responsibility to care for the dying. Hospice provides families with the support needed to keep their loved one at home, and can take over fully to give the caretaker short “respite” periods.
   
5. Most adults believe it would take a year or more to adjust to the death of a loved one. However, only 10% of adults have ever participated in a bereavement program or grief counseling following the death of a loved one. Hospice programs offer one year of grief counseling for the surviving family and friends.

By allowing trained professionals to help, hospice care alleviates many of the troubles and concerns commonly associated with death.

Facts About Hospice

Hospice isn’t a place. It’s a type of care that focuses on living; living as fully as possible, up until the end of life.

Hospice offers the services and support that Americans want when coping with life-limiting illness. Considered to be the model for high-quality, compassionate care at the end of life, hospices have a team of care providers that includes expert medical care, pain-and-symptom management, and emotional and spiritual support. All care is tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes.

The goal of hospice is to treat the person instead of the disease, and support the family caregivers as well as the individual. The focus is on quality of life, not the length of time left to live.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reports:

• Hospice usage in the U.S. is growing. More than 1.4 million Americans with life-limiting illness were served by the nation’s hospices last year.
  
• The median length of time people receive hospice is 20.6 days (half of patients receive care for more days, half of patients receive care for fewer days). Yet most patients would benefit from hospice earlier -- in fact, the most frequent comment from families is “why didn’t we get hospice sooner?
  
• Less than half of hospice patients have cancer, which surprises many people who mistakenly think hospice only serves cancer patients. The five other leading diagnoses are: heart disease, debility, dementia (this includes Alzheimer’s disease), lung disease, and stroke.
  
• Hospice is paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs and other managed care organizations. Hospices also care for people who don’t have insurance and can’t afford to pay for the services.
  
• An estimated 400,000 trained volunteers provide 5.1 percent of patient and family-related services to patients. Volunteers also assist with fundraising, community outreach and administrative work.
  
• Research shows that 8 out of 10 Americans would want to stay in their homes surrounded by family and loved ones if they were faced with a life-limiting illness. Hospice makes this happen for millions of patients each year.

For more information, contact the Hospice Care Group at 1-866-656-9790 or visit http://hospicecarecorp.org/

Health Care Decisions Day

Health Care Decisions Day is a yearly event promoting awareness of end-of-life and medical choices. West Virginia has been a major supporter of this event in the past and will continue this year by coordinating with the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care to create community events and outreach programs throughout the state.

On April 16, 2010 West Virginia will be participating in National Health Care Decisions Day. The West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care has coordinated West Virginia’s participation in this national event since its inception three years ago. National Healthcare Decisions Day has been formally recognized by the US Congress, numerous state and local governments, and nearly 400 local and state organizations throughout the country. Last year West Virginia was one of the event’s most active participants.

Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise awareness of the need to plan ahead for end-of-life care decisions and medical decision-making in general whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves.

“Although West Virginia has the highest completion of advance directives (living wills and medical power of attorney forms used to convey to medical providers an individual's treatment wishes) in the country, fewer than half of all West Virginians have completed these forms,” stated Alvin H. Moss, MD, director of the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care.

“Advance directives make it much easier for families to decide what treatments their loved ones should receive at the end of life. In the combined living will and medical power of attorney form, the most commonly used advance directive in West Virginia, individuals can name someone they trust to make decisions for them and provide directions for the types of treatment they do and do not want at the end of life. Others need to know our wishes in order to honor them. It is best to put our wishes in writing and talk to our families,” remarked Moss.

To find out more about National Healthcare Decisions Day events in your community, visit the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care’s website www.wvendoflife.org or call them at 877.209.8086. The Center provides free information and tools (including free advance directives forms) to assist with thoughtful reflection on healthcare choices and to enable West Virginians to put their wishes in writing so that they will be followed.