Dispelling Hospice Care Myths

Submitted by Hospice of Marion County

With former president Jimmy Carter’s recent decision to become a hospice patient, it has opened up many discussions about hospice care. Unfortunately, there are misguided notions about what it is and many myths continue to surface. Here we seek to help you better understand hospice care and dispel some of the common myths so that you and your loved ones can make better informed decisions about end-of-life care.

What is hospice care?
Hospice care is a philosophy of comprehensive compassionate care for those in the final stages of life. It includes an integrated team of physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, grief care and spiritual care professionals, along with volunteers helping to support patients and their families.

Once a person is admitted onto hospice care, the focus will be on comfort, dignity and emotional support, treating the family as the unit of care. Quality of life for the patient is the highest priority. No one walks this journey alone. Our Monarch Center for Hope and Healing is there for the patient and family before, during and after the loss of a loved one, providing grief counseling to children, teens and adults, to individuals and groups.

Common myths about hospice
Myth: Hospice is for people who only have a few days left to live.

FACT: Hospice care is available with a diagnosis of six months or less. All Medicare recipients are entitled to 180 days of hospice care, which is 100% covered. Most families wished their loved one had received hospice care much earlier in their illness giving patients time with family, friends, pets and support from the hospice interdisciplinary team.

Myth: Hospice care isn’t the same level of care as the hospital.

FACT: Hospice of Marion County provides the same quality care as the patient would get in a hospital, sometimes better due to understanding the special needs of hospice patients. A comprehensive hospice model, Hospice of Marion County has earned Deemed Status accreditation from the Joint Commission, the national gold standard for quality healthcare, the same governing body that gives accreditation to hospitals.

Myth: Hospice care is only available in a hospice house.

FACT: Hospice care is available wherever the patient calls home. At Hospice of Marion County, approximately 86% of our patients receive care in their home. Patients may receive services in their own home, assisted living facility, nursing home or in one of our three hospice houses.

Myth: Only a doctor can refer someone to hospice care.

FACT: Anyone can make a referral for hospice care. It could be a friend, a neighbor, a caregiver or a concerned relative that calls Hospice of Marion County to make a referral. Hospice will make a call to the patient’s physician to assist in obtaining a formal referral, which is required to be admitted onto our service. A social worker schedules a visit, medical equipment and prescriptions are delivered directly to wherever the patient calls home.

Myth: You can’t keep your own doctor if you enter hospice care.
FACT: Hospice care encourages engagement with your family doctor or specialist. Together they develop a care plan for the patient’s situation.

Myth: Hospice is only for cancer patients.
FACT: The majority of hospice patients, about 70%, are admitted to hospice with non-cancer diagnoses. Some of the most common non-cancer diagnoses are heart disease, dementia, lung disease, kidney disease, and liver disease.

Myth: Hospice care is more expensive.
FACT: Hospice care is frequently less expensive than conventional care during the last six months of life. Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance companies. As a not-for-profit hospice, we never exclude service to anyone who is eligible, regardless of ability to pay. With the help of our hospice thrift stores and the generosity of donors, Hospice of Marion County has contributed more than $2.3 million to charitable care over the past five years.

Myth: Hospice requires a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) Order.
FACT: The purpose and benefit of hospice care is to allow for a peaceful death in a comfortable and familiar setting like home with loved ones near. While many people who choose hospice care wish to have a DNR to avoid unnecessary medical intervention and hospitalization, a DNR is not required to receive hospice care.

Myth: Hospice is only for the elderly.
FACT: Hospice care is available to anyone who meets the eligibility requirements. Hospice care is for children, teens and adults with any terminal illness.

Although end-of-life care may be difficult to discuss, it is best for family members to share their wishes long before it becomes a crisis. This can greatly reduce the patient’s and the family’s stress when the time for hospice care is needed.

Visit www.hospiceofmarion.com or call (352) 873-7415 to make a referral.