The Importance Of Hospice Care

Hospice is type of palliative care where the goal is to comfort those who have a certain amount of time left, Hospice was first introduced to the United States in the 1970s. The goal is to make sure the person’s quality of life is at the best it can while managing the symptoms of their condition. (Hospicevallley 2016). During the 1970s hospice care was mostly for adult cancer patients, but now it is available to other illnesses and various ages. Such illnesses are, for example, lung disease, kidney disease, late stage heart disease, and late Alzheimer’s or dementia. Hospice services are provided wherever the patient feels are most comfortable. It can be at their own house, a loved one's, a hospital, nursing home, or assisted living center. …show more content…
Approximately 1,200,00 deaths occurred while in the care of hospice in the U.S in 2014. The amount of how long patients receive hospice care depends on the length of service. This can be affected by the course of the disease, referral, and access to care. The location of hospice patients depends on them and access to care. In 2014, 58.9% are at the patient’s residence, 31.8% at the hospice inpatient facility, and 9.3% at acute care hospitals. (nhpco. …show more content…
It provides the patient choice, because while the disease limits their control of what happens to their body. Hospice is covered by insurers and Medicaid agencies if the doctors find that the patient only has six months to live or less. Entering hospice care is the patient’s choice of how to live through the illness. Medicaid in the states usually cover up to a year. However, there are some cases where the patient’s illness improves and they wish to seek curative treatment. Here they may leave and come back if they wish to. (Palliativedoctors