The concept of hospice is new to many people, and there are many misconceptions about it. Please be sure to take a look at our FAQ page, or call us to speak to someone about your specific situation at 626-703-4144.
Hospice is an alternative to traditional medicine that is centered on palliative care — the management of a patient’s pain and symptoms so that every moment can be as comfortable and rewarding as possible.
Rather than just treating the disease, hospice attends, with compassion and respect, to the whole patient — physically, emotionally and spiritually. Hospice also extends caregivers vital support and education.
Daily care is most often provided by a family member in the patient’s home, with the help of specially trained hospice professionals. Patients can keep their personal physicians, and they can enter or leave hospice anytime they like.
For most patients, hospice services are fully covered by Medicare/Medicaid. Private insurance plans and HMOs coverage is also available. Admission to New Madison Hospice is based on the patient’s needs rather than the ability to pay.
Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to curative treatments. Hospice care tries to manage symptoms; its primary goal is to improve the quality of a patient’s life by offering comfort and dignity.
Hospice affirms life and neither hastens nor postpones death. Hospice staff and volunteers offer a specialized knowledge of medical care, including pain management. Hospice care treats the person rather than the disease; it focuses on quality rather than length of life. Hospice care is family-centered — it includes the patient and the family in making decisions.
Hospice care is provided by a team-oriented group of specially trained professionals, volunteers and family members. This care is planned to cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hospice care can be given in the patient’s home, a hospital, nursing home, or private hospice facility. Most hospice care in the United States is given in the home, with family members or friends serving as the main hands-on caregivers. Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient’s pain and discomfort. It also deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease on the patient and the patient’s family and friends.
One of the problems with hospice is that it is often not started soon enough. Sometimes the doctor, patient, or family member will resist hospice because he or she thinks it means you’re “giving up”, or that there’s no hope. This is not true. Patients can be taken out of the hospice program and go into active treatment whenever they choose. They also can go back to hospice care later, if they decide to do so. But the hope that hospice brings is the hope of a quality life, making the best of each day during the last stages of advanced illness.