Hospice Care Makes Sense

What if I told you about an organization you could call when your elderly parent became so seriously ill that it appeared unlikely she’d recover?

What if I told you that this organization would send well trained nurses to see your parent, aides to lend a hand with daily care, a social worker to help the family grapple with the emotional difficulties? That these folks would deliver equipment you might need — a hospital bed, say, or wheelchair — and all your parent’s drugs? What if they’d also send a chaplain if you wanted one? And provide a nurse to call 24/7 when you had questions or problems? And volunteers who would stay with your parent while you took a few hours’ break, even if just for a long, quiet walk?

And what if I told you all this would cost you nothing, that Medicare would pay for it all? You’d pick up the phone, right? It’s what caregivers so often yearn for and so seldom can locate: expertise, compassion, help that they can afford.

Now, what if I told you this organization was a hospice?

This quote from a New York Times blog post provides compelling arguments for why hospice care is the ideal solution to the inevitable issues that come with the end of life. Affordable, professional, and comfortable, hospice provides the attention and care that patients and their families deserve.