10 Myths about Hospice
Hospice is comprehensive care by a team of experts that allows patients and their families to focus on living as fully as possible. Last year, 1.4 million dying Americans were served by hospice providers across the nation, yet there are many myths about hospice.
Myth:
Hospice is where you go when there is nothing more a doctor can do.
Fact:
Hospice is not a place but a philosophy of care providing medical, emotional, and spiritual care focusing on comfort and quality of life.
Myth:
Hospice is only for the last days of life.
Fact:
Hospice patients and families can receive care for six months or longer, depending on the course of the illness. Hospice care is most beneficial when there is sufficient time to manage symptoms and establish a trusting relationship.
Myth:
Choosing hospice means giving up hope.
Fact:
Hospice provides comfort and quality of life when the hope for cure is no longer possible. The hope for living each day to the fullest becomes the focus.
Myth:
Good care at end of life is very expensive.
Fact:
Medicare beneficiaries pay little or nothing for hospice. Most insurance plans, HMOs and managed care plans include hospice coverage. The Denver Hospice has programs to care for indigent and uninsured patients.
Myth:
You can’t keep your own doctor if you enter hospice.
Fact:
Hospice physicians work closely with your doctor to determine a plan of care.
Myth:
Choosing hospice means giving up all medical treatment.
Fact:
The reality is that hospice places the patient and family at the center of the care-planning process and provides high-quality pain management and symptom control.
Myth:
Hospice only cares for patients in their homes.
Fact:
Most patients choose to die at home surrounded by their loved ones. The Denver Hospice cares for patients wherever they call home, including long-term skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.
Myth:
Hospice is just for the elderly.
Fact:
Hospice serves anyone facing a life-limiting illness, regardless of age.
Myth:
Families are not able to care for people with terminal illnesses.
Fact:
Hospice involves families and offers professional support and training to help them care for their loved ones.
Myth:
Hospice care starts when someone is close to dying and ends at death.
Fact:
The focus of hospice palliative care starts at the time of diagnosis or acute phase of the terminal illness and extends beyond the patient's death to the family during bereavement. The Denver Hospice Grief Center is open to anyone in the community whether their loss is a hospice death or not.