By Jane Bloom
On my second visit to The Villages, November 2011, while I was still living in Seattle and looking after the care of my two parents who were living in an independent living community, my dad had another fall.
I remember receiving the call while I was at a Villages Health Fair in what was an empty lot in Lake Sumter Landing. I had no idea how that call would change the landscape of my life.
When I returned back to Seattle, I saw that my dad had really suffered from that fall. At 93, he had broken ribs, and the pain on top of his other chronic health issues proved to be insurmountable. When breathing issues resulted in a stroke and his need for dependent care, he requested to no longer have hospital care but be allowed to choose life end. Shocking, nightmarish, unacceptable to me. But not my life and not my choice. My dad went on hospice care and the journey for his transition began. I did not have time to comprehend what it meant, I was the daughter he depended on and the one who was there to meet his needs and fulfill his wishes.
Hospice services were called in.I set up vigil next to my dad, almost 24 hours a day, providing comfort, sharing intimate conversation of his life and deepest feelings, giving him his pain meds as life was turning to life end, and watching him go from talking, to looking at me with eyes that told his life story, to him experiencing intensive physical discomfort, to losing touch with words and then sharing the moments that would lead to a loss I still grieve every day. What an honor to hold his hand at his final moment and to watch him go to a peace he had not experienced for decades due to debilitating health issues.
Hospice assisted with that transition from life to closure with dignity and choice. I had not dealt personally with this service before. It helped to have neutrality and support so not only myself, but my mom, his wife of67 years, and my sisters, could focus on our dad, our rock, our stability in our family for all of our years.
Here in our community, we have these services. Hospice of Marion County is an example of what is available when life end is imminent. One of the goals of Hospice of Marion County is to educate the community about what hospice is and the many benefits that are available to patients and their families. Unfortunately, too many times what the beneficiaries of these services hear when their doctor or other concerned party mentions the word “hospice” is that they are going to die….and usually right away! Yes, hospice does take care of patients with a terminal illness but many patients on hospice live longer and have a better quality of life than those who are admitted to hospice at the very end of their illness. Studies have proven this.
Therefore, Paula Parker, physician and healthcare liaison for Marion County, would like to expose some of the Myths and provide the Facts about what Hospice is…. and what it isn’t.
Myth: Hospice is where you go when there is “nothing else to be done.”
Fact: Hospice is the “something more” that can be done for the patient and the family when illness cannot be cured. It is a concept based on managing symptoms and comfort-oriented care. Choosing Hospice is a transition into another mode of therapy that can improve quality of life.
Myth: Hospice means giving up hope.
Fact: Choosing hospice care in no way means a patient is giving up hope. It helps patients reclaim the spirit of life. It helps them understand that even though it can be a time of sadness, it can also lead to opportunities for reminiscence, laughter, reunion, and hope.
Myth: Hospice care is more expensive.
Fact: Frequently it is less expensive than conventional care during the last six months of life. Additionally, patients eligible for Medicare or Medicaid will pay few out of pocket expenses related to their hospice care. Most private insurers also cover some or most hospice related expenses.
Myth: Hospice is a place.
Fact: Hospice is a mainstream medicine that focuses on comfort care when a cure is no longer possible. Hospice care usually takes place in the comfort of an individual’s home, but can be provided in any environment in which a person lives, including a nursing home, assisted living facility or residential care facility, such as a hospice house, which also provide acute inpatient care.
Myth: Hospice means that the patient will soon die.
Fact: Receiving hospice care does not mean giving up hope or that death is imminent. The earlier an individual receives hospice care, the more opportunity there is to stabilize a patient’s medical condition and address other needs.
Myth: Hospice is just for the patient.
Fact: Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity and emotional support, treating the family as the unit of care. The quality of life for the patient is the highest priority.
Myth: Once a patient comes on hospice, he or she can no longer receive care for their primary care physician.
Fact: Hospice reinforces the patient-primary physician relationship by advocating either office or home visits, according to the physician’s preference. Hospices work closely with the primary physician, as well as any physician the patient chooses to be part of the care team.
Myth: Hospice stops feeding patients and they become dehydrated and starve to death.
Fact: Hospice encourages patients to eat and drink what and whenever they want. It is natural for some patients to not feel hunger or thirst.
Myth: Patients on hospice have all their existing medications and treatments taken away.
Fact: Current medications and treatments are reviewed by the hospice physician and nurse, as well as by the patient and family. Hospice pays for medications and supplies related to the hospice diagnosis.
Myth: Hospice gives the patient so much medicine the patient is out of touch, sleeps too much and becomes addicted to pain medications.
Fact: One of the goals of hospice care is to make the patient comfortable, pain free and as alert as possible. Medications are adjusted to suit each patient’s needs.
Myth: Hospice provides care only during the last hours of a patient’s life.
Fact: To receive the full benefits of hospice care, it is recommended that patients come on the program with a six-month prognosis. It takes time to develop trusting bonds with the hospice team and to maximize comfort measures, ensuring the best quality of life possible during one’s last months. The hospice team values the relationships that are built and enjoy getting to know their patients.
If you have any questions about hospice, please Paula Parker at 352-812-5453. They provide extensive information on their website www.hospiceofmarion.com
One more fact….anyone can make a hospice referral. Just call our referral center at 352-873-7415.
If you have questions, comments, or would like to discuss an issue of concern to you, please contact “The Other Daughter” Jane Bloom (425 299 6020) janeinthevillages@gmail.com website www.theotherdaughter.org
Jane Bloom lives in The Villages.
