Hospice care involves both physical and emotional care for people who are terminally ill with any disease, and there is very little to no chance of survival for them. Such patients are said to have a total of six months or less to live.
So, the top priority of hospice is to provide them with comfort, both physically and mentally to make these counted days special for them. During hospice care, the caretakers care for their needs and work best to provide them with the highest quality of life.
But, before anyone decides to opt for hospice care, it is essential to understand if they really need it. Below in this blog, we are going to outline some things that will help you decide who can receive hospice care. Read on to find out.
Eligibility Criteria for Hospice Care
As mentioned above, only individuals with terminal illnesses and limited life expectancy are said to be admitted to hospice care. But the question is, how will you know if someone really deserves to receive hospice care? Below are some eligibility criteria that will help you make this decision.
1. Medical Certification:
This is the most important aspect of measuring a patient’s eligibility to receive hospice care. To guarantee a person’s eligibility for hospice care, a qualified doctor will have to certify that the patient’s illness is really terminal and their life expectancy is limited.
This eligibility will depend on some medical tests, the patient’s medical history, their current medical condition, and analyzing hospice vs palliative care options for the patient.
2. Decline in Health Status:
If it has been noticed that a patient’s health is continuously declining despite receiving the best curative treatments, it is a sign and an eligibility criterion that it is good for the patient to spend some time in hospice care.
In this scenario, the patient’s medical history and all the previous treatment records will help doctors and caretakers decide if they really need hospice care. Also, both the patients and their families should be on board on stopping the treatments and sending the patient to hospice care.
Diagnoses That Qualify for Hospice Care
There are many diseases that qualify as terminal illnesses. If a person is suffering from any of these diseases, they should be sent to hospice care. Some of these diseases include advanced stages of various types of cancer when treatments are not showing any effective results, heart failure or other severe cardiovascular conditions, and liver failure.
Late stages of AIDS and its related illnesses and end-stage kidney diseases or failure are also some of the diseases that fall into this spectrum.
Benefits of Hospice Care
Patients living in hospice care and their families get a range of benefits in this challenging time. These benefits include:
- Pain and symptom management
- Emotional support
- Increased quality of life
- Personalized care plans for every patient
Along with these benefits, this care allows the families of patients to get a respite by taking a break and knowing that their loved ones are in good hands. This ultimately leads to spiritual and emotional support that is good for both patients and their families.
