Hospice care – also known as 'palliative' care – involves
reducing pain for patients suffering from inoperable medical
problems. The object is to support quality of life, dignity, and
independence as much as possible. In the United States, Medicare
covers hospice care under Part A. For details about how and when
hospice coverage applies to your patient's situation, call your
Medicare representative. If you have trouble understanding the terms
and conditions, you can lean on local resources. Offices in places
like the Pennsylvania counties of Montgomery, Philadelphia, and
Chester can connect you with the appropriate organizations.
More than half of U.S. hospitals engage in hospice care programs. In
addition, nursing homes, charities, and volunteer groups across the
nation provide hospice care. All told, more than a million people
receive hospice care annually, and according to demographers, this
number is likely to grow as the Baby Boom generation greys.
Providing superior hospice care requires striking a delicate
balance. On the one hand, caregivers want to reduce the long term
suffering of the patient, and often the simplest way to do this is
to prescribe pain relief medications. On the other hand, hospice
care which focuses overly on pain reduction via medication may
weaken a patient's immune system and compromise quality of life. The
situation can become complex if the patient in hospice can no longer
communicate his or her wishes and has not specified medical
directives. Fortunately, caregivers now have additional tools in
their arsenal to reduce pain and anxiety. These tools run the gamut
from acupressure massage to aquatic yoga to minor medical surgeries.
