She is still getting around slowly. I am her caregiver. What happens when the 6 months are up? Will she have to pay for these services? Very concerned.
Superstring, DO check around. All hospice providers are not the samel The first one I had was awful. The healthcare providers were great but management made it difficult The second Hospice provider was fantastic
Most people are like me thinking that Hospice care was only for those who are at deat's door. I struggled for two years trying to take care of my wife. Finaly, a doctor recommended Hospice and explained it was for those who had no other options for care and some people can be on Hospice for years. Hospice was a blessing. They taught me how to take care of her medical problems and they provided the equipment I needed. Even now, eight months after she wen to be with the Lord, Hospice helps with my grieving and checks on my well being.
My hubby was on hospice 6 months, recertified for the next 60 days, & then given the boot because they said he no longer qualified. (Even though during the 8 months he was on hospice he went from walking a little bit around the house to not walking at all, he had several pressure sores on his tailbone which were healed not by the hospice people but by diligent work by my private caregivers, several UTIs which the hospice didn't want to test for and only reluctantly treated & I finally just went to his regular doctor and had her prescribe for him & he go better immediately. I was mad when they discharged him (with only a few days' notice), but since he's been OFF hospice, he's walking a little again, no pressure sores, no UTIs. Go figure. He will probably go on hospice again, as his dementia and parkinsons disease are progressive. But I don't intend to use the same hospice! I'll be doing more research this time & not just relying on one recommendaion...I am now renting the hospital bed (I ought to BUY one--he looks as if he might live forever now:)) but he didn't need all the other stuff they'd brought so I don't miss having it around cluttering up the house. And I've found better pullups, thickener, and other stuff than the stuff the supplied (they would only give me one tube of calmoseptine barrier cream every two weeks, so I had to buy it anyway!) I realize they are on a "fixed income", so to speak, but he had to be one of their cheaper patients: I have private caregivers and they never had to send anybody to shower him.
As long as there is a "continued, documented" decline the person can remain on Hospice. It does not matter how long that is. My Husband was on Hospice for about 3 years. There are "re-certification" visits where a Nurse or Doctor will visit to check on the patient and review the documented reports from the Nurse, CNA, Social Worker and volunteers if you have any visit. Do not worry about the "6 month" time line.
Our Mom was on hospice for 3 months and then she was reevaluated and dismissed because she was doing better and no longer qualified. We were able to get her palliative care. As long as there is a decline they will keep them on hospice. Mom later got back on hospice after another broken hip, she passed shortly after going back on hospice.
No, they will reevaluate her. She will either but taken off hospice (but can go back on when she needs it) or be kept on. My mom was on hospice for 13 months before she passed.
In Canada, our experience was different with my father. He was in a residential hospice where patients were expected to die within three months. He had cancer. After he was admitted he actually got better for a while. At the end of three months we were called to a meeting where we were told we should expect him to be discharged back home. This was not an option for Mum or the rest of us. I had a pretty strong 'discussion' with the care team about how some people just don't die 'on time' but still need the care. After a heated exchange they agreed to evaluate him again in a month. He died two months later. It was terribly painful for Mum because she was terrified they would send him home where she could not have cared for him and none of us lived anywhere near to take it on.
When the hospital recommended hospice for my mom they did not expect her to live a week. After 3 months she was evaluated again and was no longer eligible. That was obvious to us, her family as well. She would never walk again, but there was no indication she was dying. She lived another 2 years. When she died it was sudden and she was not on hospice. (My family feels that the extra care she got under hospice contributed to her recovery.)
Your mom will be evaluated, Melaniek. She will continue on hospice if she is still eligible. There will be no change in costs.
When Mom was placed on hospice a few months ago (she passed on Easter Sunday), the nurse who enrolled Mom said ANY change/decline would allow Mom to continue on hospice. The nurse mentioned that one time they (hospice) had a client who was continued on the service even though there was no reportable change, but the nurses said SOMETHING was off about the client and they couldn't put their finger on what it was, just a feeling. Take a deep breath, Melaniek, and don't forget to take care of you!
My aunt was on hospice a couple of years before her death. She had to be reevaluated every 6 months to be sure she still qualified. The medical professionals had to say she was still expected to die within 6 months, but she wasn't required to actually die during that time. Sometimes the doctors can't really predict all that accurately.
My mthr is on hospice for about 2.5 years until she stopped declining and was removed from service. She was doing so much better at that time - she started really gaining weight and getting around better after using the hospital bed that could be cranked up to help her sleep. Off service, we paid for the bed (as who knows how long she will hang on now!) and her memory care lets her use one of the wheelchairs they have around. Once she has a serious fall, we are to expect the end in 6 mos again, and hospice will restart. I love her NP and aides!!
My dad has been on hospice for almost 11 months. He has to be re-certified every two months. This was just done again Monday. I spoke with the nurse practitioner and she told me there is no reason for dad not to be certified as decline is obvious (weight loss and mental decline).
Melaniek, No worry! If your mom is on medicare the hospice is paid by them. Hospice does an evaluation every so often, usually the patient stays on hospice unless there is a huge dramatic improvement.
She will be evaluated by the hospice group, maybe 3 weeks-30 days before the end of the current cycle.
For my mom, a RN with the hospice came to do an on-site evaluation. They already had weekly reports in her chart. Unless there’s a super dramatic change positive, hospice gets approved by Medicare for another cycle. My mom was on hospice 18 long, l...o...n...g months. Some days found her quite perky, others not so much. Hospice looks at the overall situation.
DO check around. All hospice providers are not the samel The first one I had was awful. The healthcare providers were great but management made it difficult The second Hospice provider was fantastic
It does not matter how long that is. My Husband was on Hospice for about 3 years.
There are "re-certification" visits where a Nurse or Doctor will visit to check on the patient and review the documented reports from the Nurse, CNA, Social Worker and volunteers if you have any visit.
Do not worry about the "6 month" time line.
Your mom will be evaluated, Melaniek. She will continue on hospice if she is still eligible. There will be no change in costs.
For my mom, a RN with the hospice came to do an on-site evaluation. They already had weekly reports in her chart. Unless there’s a super dramatic change positive, hospice gets approved by Medicare for another cycle. My mom was on hospice 18 long, l...o...n...g months. Some days found her quite perky, others not so much. Hospice looks at the overall situation.