Hospice, like many forms of healthcare, can seem complicated when you’re trying to learn all the details. Perhaps that’s why there are many myths and misconceptions about hospice care. As you make decisions for yourself or your loved one, you want to learn everything you can about your options. The more you know, the more informed your decision will be. Find the healthcare option you need by learning the truth behind these common home hospice care myths.
Hospice Is Only for Cancer Patients
It’s true that many hospice patients have cancer, but that’s not a prerequisite for hospice care. This myth likely stems from the fact that, when hospice services began in the 1970s, most patients who sought comfortable end-of-life care were cancer patients. Today, however, many other common conditions can lead to hospice care. Patients may enter hospice due to late-stage heart, lung, or kidney disease. Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are also common in hospice patients.
Hospice Care Means Giving Up
While hospice services provide end-of-life care to their patients, entering hospice is not a sign of defeat or a way to hasten death. It simply seeks to make life more comfortable for patients with terminal illnesses. Some patients choose to stop certain medications or treatments that cause them to have uncomfortable side effects. However, this decision happens on a case-by-case basis, and either way, hospice care still serves to make life more comfortable for patients. All in all, hospices work to provide for emotional, mental, and spiritual needs in addition to the medical care the patient requires.
Caregivers Are Left Out
One of the most common home hospice care myths—and a primary concern among loved ones of patients—is that it keeps loved ones out of the patient’s care plan. This couldn’t be less true. Hospice services create an interdisciplinary team for each patient to work closely with family and caregivers. In fact, caregiver education and support are a huge part of a successful hospice program. Hospice providers will work with a patient’s close friends and family to provide training, information, and respite care. These services equip caregivers with the tools they need to help their loved one.
Is hospice care the next step for you or your loved one? Soulistic Hospice provides thorough and compassionate in-home hospice care in Tucson and its surrounding areas. Learn more about your options and how we can help by visiting our website today.
