For Reprint by the GWAAR Legal Services Team
When people think of the term “hospice,” many believe it means a person has given up on life or has just days to live. Many others think hospice is a type of facility, like a hospital or nursing home, that once a person enters, they can never leave. However, hospice care is much different. The following are several common hospice care myths and the facts behind them.
Myth: Hospice is for people who have given up.
Fact: Hospice is for patients who are in the last phase of an incurable disease, but instead of focusing on curing an illness or prolonging death, the goal of hospice care is to relieve symptoms and give patients the best quality of life. The purpose of hospice care is to manage pain and other symptoms and to focus on the comfort and dignity of the person. And contrary to popular belief, research shows that in many cases, hospice care increases life expectancy, rather than decreases it.
Myth: Hospice is a place.
Fact: Hospice is rarely an actual location that people go to. Instead, the care is almost always provided where a person lives. Hospice patients are assigned a team of providers, such as a physician, registered nurse, home health aid, social worker, and chaplain. This team regularly checks in with the person, and works together to provide medical, emotional, spiritual, and grief support to not only the patient but also their family.
Myth: People on hospice have to stop taking all medications.
Fact: This isn’t always true. While it is true that hospice focuses on providing comfort rather than a cure, the decision to stop medication is usually left up to the patient. Depending on where people are in their diseases, it may be best to stop taking a medication that’s a source of discomfort, but this is determined on a case-by-case basis. People are able to continue taking medications for pain and symptom control.
Myth: Once you sign up for hospice, there’s no turning back.
Fact: Hospice doesn’t mean a person is giving up control over their care or the ability to choose who provides it. A person can leave hospice and reapply at any time. For example, if a person on hospice wants to try a new drug trial or experimental therapy, they can always leave hospice and return at a later time, if needed.
Myth: You can only be on hospice for a limited amount of time.
Fact: Eligibility for hospice care requires that two physicians agree that the person has six months or less to live; however, this does not mean a person has to die within six months. If the person lives longer than six months but doctors continue to certify that they’re terminally ill, they’ll receive hospice care for as long as needed.
For families that have used hospice care for loved ones, nearly all say they wished they’d known about it sooner. You do not have to wait for your doctors to bring it up – it is never too early to ask about hospice and what benefits it could provide. For more information, visit: leadingage.org.
