When facing a terminal illness, many people and their families often find themselves confronted with decision making, confusing terminology, and emotional uncertainty. It can be difficult to know where to turn for support in these difficult times. Many people don’t realize that hospice and palliative care offer more than just medical help – they also provide comfort, dignity, and peace.
Palliative V.S. Hospice Care – What’s the Difference?
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people of any age living with a chronic illness at any stage of their disease. It can be provided along with life-prolonging treatments like dialysis, chemotherapy, or surgeries. The focus of palliative care is to provide relief from any symptoms (such as pain, shortness of breath, or anxiety) to improve the quality of life for the patient and their families by supporting them emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Hospice is specialized care intended for people who are no longer seeking treatment for their illness and are usually expected to have a life expectancy of 6 months or less. This care is meant to provide a patient with as much comfort as possible during their last months, weeks, or days of live. Every patient under hospice care will have a designated team of physicians, nurses, therapists, aides, and even grief specialists and social workers to help guide and educate them and their family members through this time.
Both palliative care and hospice focus on managing symptoms, providing comfort and quality of life, provide a team of healthcare professionals, offer emotional and spiritual support, and offer home-based care in wherever a patient considers “home” (patient’s home, assisted living facilities, hospitals, etc.). Both are also typically covered by Medicare or private insurance companies.
Misconceptions about Hospice
- “Hospice means giving up.” – Hospice care is meant to aide terminally ill patients by offering them comfort, support, and quality of life. It’s not about “giving up hope”, but rather about finding peace and offering support to allow patients to have meaningful time with their loved ones.
- “Hospice is mainly for cancer patients.” – While there are many cancer patients who do receive hospice care, it is actually available for anyone with terminal illnesses. This means that patients with heart disease, COPD, dementia, and other illnesses are all eligible for hospice services.
- “Hospice patients are always heavily sedated.” – Medications for patients under hospice are meant to manage symptoms such as pain or anxiety. Many hospice patients remain interactive while under care. Medication is tailored to a patient’s needs and is only used to relieve suffering – not to cause sedation.
- “Going under hospice care means you are in the last few days of life.” – Patients can qualify for hospice care once a physician diagnoses them to have a life expectancy of six months or less. If a patient’s life expectancy exceeds six months, they can be recertified to stay under hospice for a continued length of time.
Understanding What To Expect When You or a Loved One Begins Hospice Care
After getting a referral to hospice, a nurse will meet with the patient (and/or their family) to admit them into services. A physician with hospice will be assigned to oversee the patient’s care plan and medications and the patient will start receiving regular weekly nurse visits (usually 2 a week or more as needed). A patient will be assigned a specific team under hospice that will offer 24/7 support. Hospice will also offer medical equipment – such as hospital beds, bedside commodes, wheelchairs, lifts, oxygen equipment, and more. They will supply briefs, pads, and other incontinence supplies. An aide can be sent to assist the patient with personal care needs, such as bathing and grooming. Hospice offers a chaplain to make visits to provide spiritual support for the patient and family. Oftentimes, volunteers may also come to visit with the patient and provide companionship. Overall, the hospice team provides support on several different fronts to patients and their loved ones throughout the end-of-life journey and during bereavement.
Local Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations
- Empath Health/Suncoast Hospice – Serving Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, they are the country’s largest not-for-profit health system delivering non-acute care and services through their skilled, medical, and holistic programs to individuals with chronic, advances and terminal illnesses.
For Pinellas inquiries, call 727-467-7423 or click here.
For Hillsborough inquiries, call 813-651-7300 or click here.
- Chapters Health Systems – Serving Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, Chapters Health is a not-for-profit, community based healthcare organization that provides comprehensive home health, palliative, and hospice care services to patients and their families.
For all inquiries, call 1-866-204-8611 or click here.
How FirstLight Home Care Works Hand-in-Hand With Your Hospice Team
When a loved one is receiving hospice care, families often need an extra layer of support at home. That’s where FirstLight Home Care comes in. FirstLight doesn’t replace hospice care, they supplement it. While a hospice team manages a patient’s medical, emotional, and spiritual needs, FirstLight caregivers provide non-medical, day-to-day assistance to relieve the stress off of family and friends. This assistance could include:
- Helping with bathing, dressing, and personal care
- Preparing meals and offering feeding assistance
- Providing companionship and emotional support
- Assisting with light housekeeping or errands while the family rests or spends quality with the patient
By working alongside hospice, FirstLight ensures that patients remain comfortable, safe, and peaceful while remaining in the place that they call home.