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Ten Myths about Hospice and Palliative Care
Quality end-of-life care isn't about how you die; it’s about how you live. Hospice and palliative care focuses on how those approaching life's end and their loved ones live each day, providing comfort and guidance along the way.
While more than 1.2 million people were cared for by the nation’s 4,100 hospice programs last year, many myths exist about hospice that deter people from seeking out this compassionate system of care.
1. Choosing hospice means that I am “giving up”.
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When cure is no longer possible, hospice provides the type of care
most people say they want at the end-of-life, comfort and quality of life.
The most common statement made by patients and
families who
chose hospice is, “we wish we had known about hospice sooner.”
2. Hospice care won’t allow me or my family to be
involved in making decisions about treatment.
3. My grandmother died in a great deal of pain, but that’s just to be
expected as part of the dying process.
- Hospice doctors, nurses, and others are specially trained to control each person’s pain, while still keeping the patient awake and alert whenever possible.
4. I want to care for my husband at home; I don’t want him to go to a hospice.
- Hospice is not a place but a philosophy of care. The majority of hospice care takes place in the home, where the person can be supported by family in familiar surroundings.
5. My mother lives in a nursing home and I can’t bring her to my home to care for her, so hospice wouldn't be available.
- Hospice and palliative care is available in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and even hospitals--wherever the patient lives and considers home.
6. Hospice care just keeps dying people heavily medicated; all they focus on is the physical process of dying.
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Hospice pain management is highly specialized and tailored to each individual, to ensure the highest quality of life possible. In addition, hospice utilizes complementary therapies such as music and art, and provides emotional and spiritual support to the dying person and the loved ones, including bereavement support for the family after the death.
7. My partner’s doctor suggested hospice; that must mean that my partner has only a few days left to live.
- Hospice care is available to anyone who has a life-threatening or terminal illness, that has a prognosis of "6 months or less " if the illness runs its normal course.
8. My son is dying of AIDS, and I want the most compassionate care possible for him. But someone told me hospice care is
only for older people with cancer.
- Hospice programs have developed guidelines to care for anyone, at any age, facing a life-threatening or terminal illness.
9. My grandfather doesn't have private insurance, so he won’t be able to afford good end-of-life care when he needs it.
- Hospice is fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most HMO's and insurance companies.
10. We live in a rural area, so there won’t be any hospice programs that can help me care for my daughter.
- South Coast Hospice serves all of Coos County and beyond if needed. More than 4,100 hospice programs serve all regions of the US; less than one percent of Medicare beneficiaries live in an area where hospice is not available.
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1620 Thompson Road, Coos Bay, OR 97420
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Email: sch@schospice.org
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