Hospice care is available to individuals of all ages living with an advanced illness with a life expectancy of six months or less, assuming the illness runs its normal course. The hospice election is a matter of each individual’s choice (which can be changed at any time) combined with physician certification (by both the Primary Care Physician and the Hospice Medical Director) of eligibility.

After your Primary Care Physician, the beneficiary, and their family each thoroughly review all of the care options, and the decision is made to shift the focus of treatment from curing the illness to providing comfort, it is time to consider hospice care.

Individuals eligible for hospice care are often diagnosed with the following advanced illnesses:

• »  ALS(Lou Gehrig's disease)
• »  Kidney Disease/Renal Failure
• »  Alzheimer's/Dementia
• »  Liver Disease
• »  Cancer
• »  Multiple Sclerosis
• »  Decline in health/Adult Failure to thrive
• »  Neurological Disease
• »  Heart Disease
• »  Parkinson's
• »  HIV/AIDS
• »  Pulmanory Disease
• »  Huntington's Disease
• »  Stroke/Coma

Some signs and symptoms that an individual may be ready to access their hospice benefit:

An increase in pain, nausea, breathing, or other distressing symptoms. Failure to“bounce back” after medical setbacks occur. Increasing need for assistance with activities of daily living (i.e.walking, eating, bathing, dressing, and/or going to the toilet). Decreasing alertness – individual is emotionally withdrawn, sleeping more, or having increased difficulty with comprehension.

Some signs that the family could benefit from hospice care:

The caregiver is physically and/or emotionally exhausted from caring for the loved one. The family is feeling isolated because of caregiving demands or the uncertainties they feel about the loved one’s future. The individual and or family members appear to need emotional support to cope with the impending death. The caregiver is overwhelmed by the myriad of physical, financial, emotional, and spiritual concerns that arise because of the illness.

If you would like to learn more about hospice, or have questions about whether hospice care is right for you, your family member, resident, or patient, call Fidelis Hospice. The decision to access a person’s hospice benefit is an important one. Our caring staff is happy to talk with you about our services and answer any questions you may have.

The benefit of hospice enables individuals to focus on living their remaining days fully,whenever, wherever, and however they choose. The earlier hospice care is initiated, the greater the benefit to the individual’s quality of life.