Hospice: A Terminal Illness
Hospice is often considered a frightening word as people feel that this spells the end of life. Because of this the services which are offered by this unit are not utilized fully and many people suffer without getting the help that hospice can provide. A lot of people could have suffered less and lead a more meaningful life during the end of their days instead of putting up with a lot of emotional and physical agony. Hospice has experts who give the patient a lot of respite from both physical pain and emotional support also. Pain control is one of the major factors in many terminal illnesses and this is handled by experts who make life as comfortable as possible.
Another aspect of a terminal illness is the emotional trauma that a person and
the family go through. Counselors and religious clerics are there to support and give them strength to face this. Unfortunately, because of the myths that go around about hospice many do not want to avail of the services which they render.
It is a belief that opting for hospice means giving up hope. But this is not true, it is opting for a pain-free life in one's last days. They will also have people who care around you and give you comfort. Hospice care is provided at home and this allows the terminally ill to spend the last days at home instead of at a hospital. This is a different kind of hope in a patient. No patient is forced to sign a DNR which means that they cannot be resuscitated in case they stop breathing or their heart stops. This depends on what the patient wants and not on what the hospice decision is.
All types of terminally ill patients can utilize hospice care and this means that it is not only for cancer or HIV/AIDS patients. The team at hospice can handle any kind of crisis and make the patient more comfortable including those with dementia, kidney and liver diseases and any other terminal problem.
Another aspect of a terminal illness is the emotional trauma that a person and
the family go through. Counselors and religious clerics are there to support and give them strength to face this. Unfortunately, because of the myths that go around about hospice many do not want to avail of the services which they render.
It is a belief that opting for hospice means giving up hope. But this is not true, it is opting for a pain-free life in one's last days. They will also have people who care around you and give you comfort. Hospice care is provided at home and this allows the terminally ill to spend the last days at home instead of at a hospital. This is a different kind of hope in a patient. No patient is forced to sign a DNR which means that they cannot be resuscitated in case they stop breathing or their heart stops. This depends on what the patient wants and not on what the hospice decision is.
All types of terminally ill patients can utilize hospice care and this means that it is not only for cancer or HIV/AIDS patients. The team at hospice can handle any kind of crisis and make the patient more comfortable including those with dementia, kidney and liver diseases and any other terminal problem.