Myth 1: Hospice is just for patients who are very close to dying.
Hospice is an option when a patient and family choose to stop aggressive, curative treatment for a terminal illness.
Individuals can be evaluated for hospice care when they have a life-limiting condition, they have had a recent decline in health, and the patient and family choose palliative care, aimed at comfort rather than cure.
The patient's physician must give a prognosis of six months or less, if the disease process follows its normal course.
It is very beneficial for patients and their families to receive the personalized, compassionate support and specialized medical care that hospice provides as early as possible when life is nearing its end. Families often state that they wish they had initiated hospice care much sooner.
Sometimes the terminal condition stabilizes, and a patient can be discharged from hospice care.
Myth 2: Hospice will hasten the patient's death.
The goal of hospice care is not to prolong life or hasten death.
Because of its focus on comfort and quality of life, hospice often enables a person to live longer than expected.
Our goal is to ensure that our patients have the best possible quality of life. This is a time to reflect, communicate feelings, and make peace with the approaching death of a loved one.
The medications commonly used in hospice care are for the purpose of relieving pain and other uncomfortable symptoms. They are used only when the patient and family feel they are needed to promote comfort.
Myth 3: A hospice patient can no longer receive care from her family physician.
Each patient has the right to choose an attending physician. We encourage the patient's physician to continue to care for the patient. We recognize the comfort, knowledge and support a family physician can provide.
The patient's attending physician collaborates with the hospice team to develop a plan of care, as directed by patient and family.
A hospice physician is also available for consultation and treatment recommendations.
Myth 4: Choosing a hospice means giving up all medical treatment.
The rapidly changing needs of the terminally ill patient are continuously assessed and addressed by the hospice team. Medications and treatments are changed based on changing medical needs and patient preference.
Any treatment intended to manage pain or control uncomfortable symptoms can be added to the plan of care, as long as it is consistent with the patient's wishes.
The patient may continue to receive any medications he was taking before beginning hospice care. The decision to stop any medications is made by patient and family, with advice from the hospice team.
Myth 5: Hospice means that things are hopeless and you are giving up.
Choosing hospice care does not mean giving up hope. It means a change in focus from trying to prolong life through aggressive and sometimes harmful treatments to reducing discomfort and enhancing the quality of life, however long it lasts.
Hospice care encourages the patient to achieve personal goals and to live each day as fully as possible.
It is not uncommon for patients under hospice care to experience an increased sense of comfort and well-being.
Patients may also derive satisfaction from setting goals and actively managing their own care.
Studies have shown that, for certain disease processes, hospice patients live longer than those who do not receive hospice services.
Myth 6: You must sign a "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) document in order to receive hospice care.
The DNR is a directive requesting that no resuscitation efforts be made if a person's heartbeat or breathing stops.
This directive is a personal choice for each of us. It has no effect on eligibility for hospice services.
A DNR directive can be revoked at any time.
We encourage family members to honor the expressed wishes of their loved one, in this or any other advance directive.
Myth 7: Hospice is a place you go to die.
Hospice is a philosophy, an interdisciplinary approach to end-of-life care. It is a program of services that are brought to the patient and family, regardless of where the patient resides.
Hospice intends to allow a patient to die peacefully in the comfort of her home.
Hospice is not about dying. It is about living fully until the end of life. It is about promoting comfort and dignity during one's final days.
Myth 8: I thought all hospice providers were all one big organization!
Although most hospice programs in the United States participate in the Medicare program and follow the same regulations, there are many different hospices, and they are not all the same.
Hospice care may be provided by huge, multi-state corporations.
Hospice care can be provided by hospital systems, nursing home chains, or home care agencies.
Hospice care can be provided by a community-based agency that simply focuses on providing excellent end-of-life care, within its own community. Hospice of New Mexico is that kind of hospice. We believe it is the best way to provide hospice care.