Making the switch to hospice care is almost always a hectic time, especially if it’s a family’s first time to enroll a loved one in hospice. As hospice care functions somewhat differently than standard medical care, families often have several questions. Below is a basic guide to the ins and outs of hospice care.

Hospice Eligibility

It’s important to understand the qualifications for hospice care. The most important factor in hospice qualification is that a doctor determines the patient has a terminal illness, which is defined as having a prognosis of 6 months or less if the disease or illness runs its normal course. There are no exclusions for the kind of terminal illness a patient has. Any terminal illness can qualify a patient for hospice care.

Hospice Team

Once the patient is deemed eligible, a hospice team will meet with the patient and their family to create a customized care plan. The patient’s regular doctor can be part of this team if the patient chooses.

The Goal of Hospice

The care plan will be designed to make the patient as comfortable as possible, not to cure the illness. This style of medical care is referred to as palliative care. Palliative care seeks to improve the quality of life for patients and their families through the prevention and relief of suffering. This goal is accomplished by the treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual issues.

Where Hospice Care is Available

Hospice care can be administered in almost any setting. This includes the patient’s home, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, inpatient facilities, and anywhere else the patient is comfortable.

The Cost of Hospice

In most cases, families will pay little to nothing for hospice care. Medicare will likely cover everything needed to treat the terminal illness, including both clinical services (like pain relief) and support services. Some services may also be available to caregivers and loved ones at no additional cost.

If you have more questions about hospice care, please call Cura-HPC. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and help you make this difficult transition. 

As our loved ones age, it’s important that we are able to recognize and deal with common health risks that come with aging. Heart attacks are one of those conditions family members need to be able to catch quickly to seek medical attention immediately. Below are the four signs of a heart attack according to the American Heart Association.

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

These symptoms may manifest differently in men and women, but it’s important that families act fast if they think their loved one is experiencing a heart attack. In the event of a heart attack, call 911 as fast as possible. Every second counts when a heart attack is happening.

For more information about heart attacks and what you can do when one strikes, go to the American Heart Association’s heart attack resource center. There you can learn about the signs of an attack, risk factors, and even what to do after an attack happens.

Keeping our elderly loved ones safe is everyone’s responsibility. Sharing this information with other family members at the next family gathering may be an uncomfortable conversation, but it might just save a life. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in three seniors will experience a fall in any given year. What’s even more alarming is that less than half will tell their doctor about the fall. When you consider that falls are the leading cause of injuries to seniors, this is an issue families need to take seriously. Falls can result in a wide range of injuries including: cuts, hip fractures, head injuries, and even fatalities. However, there are practical steps families can take to protect their elderly loved ones.

Clean Up- A clean home is a safe home. Make sure the home is easy to navigate by getting rid of all the clutter that may have accumulated. Keeping hallways and heavy traffic areas of the home free of obstacles is an easy way to promote safety. This should also include repairing falling hazards like loose rugs and wayward floorboards.

Install Handrails- Giving seniors an extra point of contact can shore up balance deficiencies. Put in handrails in areas like hallways, showers, around the toilet, and other accident-prone areas to give seniors one more way to stay safe.

Light it Up- One often overlooked fall instigator is poor lighting. When hallways and stairwells are poorly lit, it can be hard to know where to step and identify hazards. Motion-activated night lights are also a great idea to create a safe environment at any time of the day.

Proper Footwear- A good pair of shoes with a non-slip sole is the ideal kind of footwear. However, some seniors prefer to just wear socks. If this is the case, opting for socks with grips on the bottoms can be a nice compromise. However, shoes are still the best option.

Non-Slip Mats- Floor surfaces that will frequently have water on them should have non-slip mats. This includes showers, tubs, bathroom floors, and kitchen floors. Doing so will give seniors a safe point of contact when conditions are slippery.

Maintaining an active lifestyle is great for the heart, blood pressure, and the waist, but it’s also good for the brain, especially as we get older. By studying brain scans of older adults, researchers have learned that areas of the brain related to memory and decision making perform better among those adults who stay active. The active seniors in the studies tended to think faster and have a better memory.

By keeping active, seniors can improve their odds of avoiding memory loss and dementia. This benefit even rings true for seniors who are frail and limited in motion. The studies showed that even these adults can benefit from physical activity that is appropriate and safe for their condition.

When seniors make the decision to get active, it’s best to start slow and work up to longer or more difficult activities. A good goal would be 30 minutes of activity 5 times a week, but it’s okay if it takes some time to get there.

There are plenty of options older adults can choose from to stay active, and it’s important to pick something they really enjoy. A walk in the park, aquatic activities, or even dancing can all be counted as physical activity.

Adults who are frail or starting to experience limited range of motion should check with their doctors before they decide on a physical activity. They will likely require the presence of an able-bodied adult for safety reasons.

Keeping active is just one way seniors can improve their mental health. At Cura-HPC we want to help seniors stay mentally sharp and improve the quality of life for anyone in need of Tulsa hospice care. If you have a loved who needs hospice and palliative care, call Cura-HPC. 

As the primary caregiver for a loved one, families will spend the most time with a patient, which means they have the best opportunity to spot changes in a hospice patient. Catching these changes early can help doctors make better decisions and improve the quality of the care provided. Here are two kinds of changes families should be looking for.  

Physical

Changes in a patient’s physical condition almost always warrants a conversation with someone on the hospice medical team. Common physical changes include:

• Increased Number of Falls
• Pain when moving or lying down
• Refusal or sudden inability to turn or move
• Skin changes such as sores, tears, bruises, rashes, itching, or a change in color
• Bladder or bowel functions
• Eating or drinking habits
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of sight or hearing

Mental

Changes in patient’s mental state can be just as important to note as physical changes, but they aren’t as easy to spot. Families need to be vigilant and watch out for:

• Increased sleeping during the day
• Difficult to wake from sleep
• Confusion about time, place, or people
• Restless (picking or pulling at the bed linen)
• Talking about things unconnected to the events or people present
• Increased anxiety, fear, or loneliness at night
• Suicidal thoughts or depression

A patient receiving end-of-life care via hospice and palliative care will likely go through lots of mental and physical changes, which makes it hard to know which changes need to be brought up with the nurses and doctors. When in doubt, it’s always best to let the hospice medical team know about changes. Having more information will only help them create a care plan that’s right for a patient’s unique needs.