

If you choose hospice, you can’t keep seeing your primary care physician.Īnother common hospice myth is that you can no longer see your PCP (primary care physician). This includes at home, in a senior living facility, or in-patient if needed.ģ.

Hospice is a philosophy of care and can be received wherever the patient and their loved ones prefer. Instead, hospice services are there to provide comfort and improve quality of life and to help carry out the wishes of the patient. Here are the most common ones that we have come across.īased on the 1.2 million google search results for “hospice is giving up,” it’s not surprising why so many people believe this to be true. Hospice myths are prevalent, but misleading. We feel that this covers all of the most common myths, but if you don’t see something addressed here, you can get more information and learn about our hospice services here. In an effort to dispel the most common myths about hospice and to reinforce the reality of hospice care, we’ve created an extensive list of 34 hospice myths and misconceptions.

The NHPCO report shows that 91.6% of hospice agencies offer bereavement support to community members. Today there are about 6,100 hospice programs according to the NHPCO report.īereavement support is an important part of hospice services. The first hospice program was created in 1974. NHPCO’s report showed that 58.9% of patients received care in the comfort of their home. Hospice patients can receive care wherever they wish. The Medicare hospice benefit was the main payment source for 85.5% of hospice patients in 2014 according to the NHPCO’s “Hospice Care in America” report.Ī recent study demonstrated that family members are more satisfied with loved one’s end of life care if they receive hospice services, with 80% of families surveyed saying their love one’s end of life wishes were followed. Here are some other helpful hospice statistics: According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) 2015 report “Hospice Care in America,” 1.6 to 1.7 million people received hospice care in 2014. Millions of Americans have experienced this firsthand. The focus is on improving or maintaining the highest quality of life through emotional, spiritual and physical support. But contrary to the hearsay and myths you may have heard, the purpose of hospice is to provide care, support and comfort to both patients and their family members. There are unfortunately many misconceptions about hospice out there. The key question is - would the patient have suffered if he or she did not have the Morphine? Most likely the answer is yes, and so you did the right thing.“Hospice is giving up.” “Hospice is too expensive.” Maybe you have heard these statements said about hospice care at some point. Nonetheless, this is often a question that lingers in the minds of family members. The patient would have to take approximately three times the usual dose in order to cause significant changes in breathing. If the patient had the opioid (pain medication) titrated (adjusted) slowly, it would not be the cause of death. It is the overall disease process that got the patient to this point, not using morphine to make him or her comfortable. Morphine may be used to make sure the patient is comfortable in the final moments of life. In addition, morphine used for comfort at the end of life does not speed up the process of death. When used appropriately, they are among the most effective and safest classes of medications available for pain, with the fewest side effects. The medications are intended to be used for the relief of pain, and hopefully will also result in an improvement in the patient's quality of life. These medications are used for a variety of painful conditions, including surgery, chronic pain, and cancer, just to name a few. They are medications that bind with a receptor in the body to alter the perception of pain in the brain. Morphine is in a class of medications called opioids (commonly known as narcotics). Morphine will not speed up the process of the cancer. O-Pro: Portal for Oncology ProfessionalsĮrin McMenamin, MSN, CRNP, AOCN, Pain Medicine Nurse Practitioner and Program Manager at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, responds:.Distress Screening Response Tools (DSRT).OncoPilot: Navigating the Cancer Journeyįind resources & tools for oncology healthcare professionals.Managing Practical and Emotional Concerns.Insurance, Legal, Employment & Financial Concerns.Support for Adolescent and Young Adults with Cancer.Sexual History & Human Papillomavirus (HPV).Medications, Health History and Cancer Risk.Environmental and Occupational Exposures (UV Exposure, Radon, Radiation).Learn about cancer, diagnosis, treatment, coping & survivorship Discover information about different types of cancer
