This group has helped me in some many of my questions with my 96 year old Mom. From living at home with care during the day in January 2019 to 24/7 care at home to now living at a Memory Care place (that was fast to me!) She is doing ok with her medical problems of CHF and fluid in her legs to go with Dementia (no staging done yet). She refuses her meds from time to time but they are working on that. Other than anxiety issues, she has good days (and bad) but she can eat and take care of her personal needs. The Medical team has just suggested Hospice to begin to provide an extra level of care. I was pretty excited about it until I read that the people who qualify for Hospice usually only have 6 months to live. They told me that they do have people who have been on Hospice 1.5 to even 2 years. I don't see Mom as only having 6 months to live - maybe, maybe not. Anyone have experience with Hospice? I hope it's a good thing - evaluation is tomorrow.
FYI - If you are new to this group - it is the best support I have found. Thank you Aging Care Forum!
I was a hospice nurse in the latter part of my nursing career. Yes, the criteria is that a patient has 6 months to live (but no one can REALLY say when a person’s time has come.)
You mom would qualify due to her medical conditions and her age. No government agency would argue with her going on hospice and I’m sure she’ll be approved. It is a free service.
Check out the ratings for the hospices in your area (yelp, word of mouth, hospital social worker’s opinion, google rating, etc.) and pick the highest rated one.
The services provided by hospice are a hospital bed, suction machine, diapers and wipes, comfort meds, doctor checks, nurse checks (vitals, pain assessment, etc.) , home health aide (bathing), chaplain, music therapist, etc.
Please understand that by signing up for hospice you agree to have your mom’s care handled by hospice. The only time she would go to the hospital would be for “comfort care” NOT treatment of her conditions. If she would be admitted to the hospital, hospice would be stopped until she was back at home or the facility. She would need to be signed up again.
Make sure you read what is offered and discuss everything with a nurse or social worker employed by the hospice you choose.
I have seen patients in hospice for a year or more. I’ve also seen patients “graduate” off hospice and get better.
Hospice can be a great support but you need to read the fine print and understand what you are signing her up for. You can cancel hospice at any time or change to another one.
Good luck.