SilveradoWhat Hospice Can Do For Your Loved One and You
November is National Hospice & Palliative Care Month. Although the concept of hospice care has been around for centuries, it is still an area of medical practice that many people today aren’t aware of. Hospice provides comfort and support during the final stages of one’s life. It does more than just meet the physical needs of patients. In many cases, patients require more than just physical comfort. It may be that the patient has spiritual or psychosocial needs that could be fulfilled before their passing. Hospice offers many resources and programs to meet these needs and ensure the patient has
Continue readingAnswers to 5 most Frequently Asked Hospice Questions
While most people have heard of hospice, a surprising number don’t have a complete understanding of the actual details of the method and purpose of it. November has been declared National Hospice and Palliative Care Month by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), a time to help build awareness of comfort-based care among those it may benefit. Here are just a few common hospice questions and answers to them: What is the purpose of hospice? Hospice is a change of focus from curative treatments to a different set of goals - comfort and quality of life. Comfort care
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Carol MarakHow Caregivers Heal after the Sacrifice
Family members at times take on the role of caregiving suddenly, assuming the tasks of helping a loved one without knowing what they're giving up. In most cases, people don't recognize their sacrifice and view the tasks as administering medications, preparing meals, giving rides, and making arrangements to live with their loved--all for the sake of the right thing to do. How caregiving effects adults who step into the role: Helping my parents through elder care put life on hold and I focused on their personal needs more than my own. Deferred retirement to maintain the 6 figure income to
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Kylie JohnsonHow to Make End of Life Plans Part 1
According to the CDC, around 60 percent of U.S. adults have no plan in place for the end of their lives. Consequently, close friends and family are left to sort through personal belongings, funeral arrangements and asset distribution while they’re mourning. Solidifying an end of life plan can ease the minds of everyone involved. Your loved one’s final wishes can be known and recorded as an objective legal document. This gives you and your family a map to follow. This process involves discussing all the conditions surrounding someone’s death before they die, as opposed to during or after. Having these
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Kimberly JohnsonHelp When It’s Time for Hospice
When someone tells you it’s time to call hospice for someone you love, it’s one of the toughest bits of news you’ll ever hear. However, when you do get that news, you’ll still need good information. Here are a few tips. Help When It’s Time for Hospice Find the Right Fit First of all, you have a choice about which hospice agency or provider will give care to your loved one. You will often be given the names of one, sometimes up to three, agencies that provide hospice care. A doctor, a hospital social worker, your elder’s nurse practitioner or someone
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Barbara Bates SedoricWhy don't we talk about death?
Why don't we talk about death? First of all, it’s going to happen to each and every one of us. Yet, why does initiating a conversation about planning ahead for death always seem to make people run in the other direction? Why don't we talk about death? What is it that makes us so fearful? Do you think that having conversations about end-of-life plans will in fact “jinx” you? Why don't we talk about death? Why talking about death and planning ahead is beneficial: We are less prepared to tackle end-of-life decisions during a crisis (when incapacity occurs or when a loved one
Continue readingHelp Adult Children face Your End of Life
There are many reasons adult children might struggle to face their parents mortality. Let's face it, no one wants to think about death and dying much less talk about it. Yet, it's inevitable and deserves setting aside time to have a very important conversation while you are able to. Help Adult Children face Your End of Life As you grow older and end-of-life preparations are considered, there comes a time when you will need, and want, people to join in and help you as you go through the process of getting your affairs in order. At the very least, you’d
Continue readingInitiating End-Of-Life Conversations with Parents
Whether you plan ahead or you’re thrown into a situation due to a sudden health crisis, end-of-life conversations are never easy. Couple that with trying to initiate these conversations with your aging parents. End-of-Life talks can be excruciatingly delicate and sometimes difficult. One must simultaneously tread lightly, yet boldly. Initiating End-Of-Life Conversations with Parents Here are some basic guidelines to help prepare for these very important and personal discussions. Initiating End-Of-Life Conversations with Parents Start now Initiating End-Of-Life Conversations with Parents If you think it’s difficult to find the time today, it could be much harder. Imagine what it will be like trying to
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Jeff DaileyDiscussing Your Aging Care and Death
Discussing Your Aging Care and Death Now that Medicare has begun to cover advanced care planning, chaotic life – and dying – decisions will hopefully diminish Discussing Your Care and Death The “death panels” have arrived. Starting this month, your physician can charge Medicare for the time she spends speaking with you and your family about end-of-life care – a very good and important step. Lawyers bill for the time they spend counseling clients about estate planning. Until now, doctors have generally provided the analogous service – advanced care planning – for free. Patients often postpone such discussions because they’re afraid to face
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