My Mom has been on hospice care for over 2 yrs. I thought it was only if you have 6 mos. to live?

Luthel--
I am not trying to start anything here, but you have a few "facts" wrong.
Hospice lasts as long as needed. And you can "recover" from hospice to palliative care, which is simply keeping someone comfortable --through medications for pain/ massage/ physical therapy. Many options.

Hospice DOES NOT hasten death. It makes this natural process easier to cope with. And for some people, "fighting death" isn't rewarding, not pleasant to be a part of and inevitably, they still die, sometimes leaving a LOT of anger and pain behind them for family members who had a different "plan". Each person should make clear (when they are able) to decide how much they plan to "endure" before needing hospice.

Palliative care is ongoing TX. Hospice is usually considered end of life, but end of life can take a long time.

I am sure that by placing my dad in hospice he may have died a day or two earlier than if we'd had IV fluids, tube feeding, ventilators breathing for him--but it's not what he chose. Hospice didn't hasten his death. It allowed it to go calmly, painlessly, and with dignity. Palliative care for the year prior kept him calm, as pain free as possible and moving as much as he chose.

Dragonbait --

It's good that you learned, "They tell me they send mobile x-ray units if needed after, say, a fall rather than send the patient to the hospital." After my husband fell in the nursing home and broke a femur, I was given a choice of sending him to a hospital for surgery or keeping him in the nursing home "to let it heal." I knew he might not survive general anesthesia, and elected to have him remain in the nursing home. Although he had Alzheimer's, I believe he understood the choice I had made, and agreed with it. He died peacefully four months later. I feel that the choice I was given was a blessing.

My mom has been in hospice for 6 months. They changed her meds and she started doing better. Gained some weight. Still has dementia and CHF. Due to her CHF diagnosis she qualifies for hospice care. They have programs for people with cardiac problems that will most likely eventually lead to their death. Her hemoglobin is very low and she is slowly declining. She h as an aide 1 hour a day 5 times a week. The nurse sees her weekly and they do blood work and follow her weight. She no longer gets blood transfusions. If she gets an infection (thought she had pneumonia) they talked to us about antibiotics. We said yes and she got them and a portable xray at the nursing home. Everything is open to discussion with their expert input. We are very pleased with them and I truly feel that they have improved the quality of the life she has left. She gets a massage twice a month; and music therapy. They have a social worker if we need one. However, she is slowly going down hill. Please keep her in your good thoughts.

My mother was put on hospice twice, rallied around and taken off. I went to the nursing home and personally fed her (which took about two hours), and improved her weight. So she last another 2 years in that state, but anyone with dementia is in a "terminal" state and no one knows exactly when one will die.

that is not true that hospice doesn't treat new conditions if the patient has a UTI or any type of infection they will treat with antibiotics, if you fall and need x-rays you will get them. Yes hospice is comfort care but they will treat some things. My mom has been under hospice care for almost 2 years she continues to decline at a very slow rate but thank god for hospice. During this time she has had blood tests and urine tests all taken at home and treated.

Generally it's 6 months to a year. But it a guessing game that most of the time the doctors get right. My mom after she was hospitalize in 2014 I was told she had a year to live. I tried to get hospice but did not met their guidelines. In 2015 she was in three nursing homes for rehabilitation. Each time she was still denied hospice. In December she had a major fall and was admitted in the third nursing home. She was not improving and one the 30th she slipped into a coma. She awoke three days later. I was told she was in frail health . One doctor even accused me trying to kill her by following her wishes on a dnr. She still did not qualify for hospice but was placed in an acute care facility. Less than two weeks she was finally breathing with a bipap and was looking at being sent back to the nursing home. The next day she passed away. Maybe it how a doctor saw her or maybe your mom health has improved. Either way just cherish the time you have with her.

My husband was under hospice care for two years. First at home, where I was his primary caregiver, and then in a nursing home. Who recommended hospice and signed an agreement with them. Was it you? Do you and your husband have a hospice social worker? Does a hospice nurse visit your husband in the AL?

Misconceptions about Hospice and Palliative Care
Misconception Reality
Hospice makes death come sooner.
Hospice neither hastens nor postpones dying. The aim is to improve the quality of remaining life so patients can enjoy time with family and friends and experience a natural, pain-free death. In some cases, hospice care can extend life.
Hospice is giving up hope; it’s better to fight for life.
Most terminally ill patients experience less anxiety by refocusing hope on what might be realistically achieved in the time remaining. If continuing uncomfortable and painful curative treatment for an illness is fruitless, hospice patients benefit more from having their symptoms treated instead.
A hospice patient who shows signs of recovery can’t return to regular medical treatment.
If a patient’s condition improves, they can be discharged from hospice and return to curative treatment, or resume their daily lives. If need be, they can later return to hospice care.
A hospice patient can’t change his or her mind and return to curative treatment even if their prognosis hasn’t changed.
A patient can go on and off hospice care as needed—or if they change their mind and decide to return to curative treatment. They may also enter hospital for certain types of treatment if it involves improving their quality of life.
Hospice care is limited to a maximum of six months.
In the U.S., many insurance companies, as well as the Medicare Hospice Benefit, require that a terminally ill patient has a prognosis of six months or less to start hospice, but a terminally-ill patient can receive hospice care for as long as necessary.

My husband in is hospice care. They tell me they send mobile x-ray units if needed after, say, a fall rather than send the patient to the hospital. From a pain management standpoint, it could be necessary to know the cause of the pain to treat it properly. He can be taken to other providers, such as a dentist; but hospice does not provide that.

Is she a Hospice patient or a Palliative Care Patient? PC patients are seen by the Hospice staff but are also allowed to seek extra care such as x-rays and such. Also, the AL facility may be having her get the x-rays to make sure she has not hurt her head when she has fallen. Those may be unrelated to Hospice. Talk with the Hospice staff and find out exactly what's going on with her and her level of care. In answer to Pamstegma, many patients keep their own physician unless to do so would cause more hardship. If she is home or nursing home bound, they usually switch to the Hospice MD because they see them wherever they are (home visits) and regular MDs don't make housecalls. It sounds like you have a lot of questions that need answering, so talk with the Hospice RN or Social Worker.

By the way, a person can be in Hospice care for as long as they qualify, which on rare occasions can be years. I am a retired Hospice Chaplain and I had one patient for over three years. It was clear that she qualified because she had breast cancer and was gradually declining. It just took her longer than most people. Ask your questions and you will get your answers from Hospice.

This is unusual. Many people do get better on hospice (once they are off medications that were causing issues) but then they go off of the hospice program

Since they are keeping her on hospice care, she will receive only comfort care, however. That means no treatment for her health issues unless the issues are causing pain. They are likely giving her pain meds for any discomfort.

However, pain is the only thing that is treated by hospice. The idea is to let nature take its course. If you want it done differently, talk to the doctor. You can take her off of hospice.

Take care,
Carol

I ve heard of people staying in hospice for that long but also you can go out of hospice as well so maybe she's out of hospice. Sounds like she should be in a nursing home.

Your case is very unusual, but it does not sound like Hospice if she is going to the ER for x-rays. On Hospice you do not go for further interventions of any kind. Your MD is the Hospice MD, your old primary is out of the picture.