According to a new report in the Daily Herald, "Hospice care among the elderly doubled to about 40 percent in the past
decade, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical
Association."
Even though it has doubled, many patients do not receive the full battery of benefits that hospice offers in the form of pain reduction, emotional companionship, and spiritual counseling, because they enter hospice care a mere three or four days before death.
In the article, Mary Tinetti, a professor of medicine at Yale University, said, "The idea was that people would be getting into hospice for long enough
to really benefit from the focus on comfort and spirituality and getting
ready for the end of life. Although more people are going to
hospice, which is a good thing, it is pegged on the last few days of
life, probably not long enough to benefit."
Blue Skies Hospice welcomes patients at any point in their illness if that illness has been diagnosed as terminal. We have had patients for less than a week, and our volunteers, nurses, social workers, and clergy have served patients for over a year. Entering hospice is a personal decision best made between the patient, his or her family, and the family doctor. If you feel it is the right time for you or a loved to consider hospice care, the Blue Skies staff will dedicate itself to your care and comfort.
