Choosing the best form and level of care for your loved one with a chronic condition can be difficult. The best first step is ensuring you have the correct information about all of your options.
At West Michigan Hospice, we’ve noticed that many of our patients and families come to us with misconceptions about hospice care. They’ve heard certain things through their friends, their coworkers, or social media that don’t provide the whole picture or just aren’t true.
As both healthcare providers and humans, we have a responsibility and a genuine concern for the well-being of your loved one and family. For us, this means giving you all the accurate information and honest recommendations you need to inform decisions about your loved one’s care.
7 Hospice Myths, Debunked
Below, we’ve listed seven common “hospice care myths” that many patients and families believe to be true until they have a real conversation with a trusted hospice care provider. We’ll explain what they are, why they’re incorrect, and why they shouldn’t steer you away from considering hospice as an option.
Hospice Myth #1: Hospice Is Just End-of-Life Care
Some people (and even some healthcare professionals!) believe that hospice is just end-of-life care and that it’s only something a patient needs in their final weeks or days of life. But the truth is that end-of-life care is just one aspect of hospice care.
Hospice providers can offer end-of-life care, but they can also offer a number of services (nurse visits, counseling, volunteer services, etc.) to help your loved one manage their chronic condition at home well before that stage. In fact, many patients are enrolled in hospice care for six months or more. That’s why we like to call hospice care “quality-of-life” care instead of “end-of-life” care.
Hospice Myth #2: Choosing Hospice Is Like Giving Up On Your Loved One
It’s common for patients, families, and even doctors to put off conversations about hospice care because they see it as “giving up.” But with that perspective, they’re missing out on giving themselves, their loved one, or their patient a better quality of life.
Even though choosing hospice means choosing to forgo curative treatments, it also means helping your loved one to be more comfortable, happy, and at peace. Sometimes treatments just aren’t working or are too intense, and that’s when hospice services can be of great help. It can provide your loved one with the best possible care, so both of you can focus on enjoying time together and creating meaningful memories.
Hospice Myth #3: Hospice Care Is Only For Cancer Patients
Hospice care can help cancer patients live more comfortably, but hospice care is also a great care option for patients with other chronic, life-limiting conditions. Some examples include (but definitely aren’t limited to):
- Alzheimer’s disease, or any other form of dementia
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cardiac disease
- Liver disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Patients with any chronic, life-limiting condition can benefit from hospice care. The wide range of hospice services can help them manage their symptoms and live more comfortably and peacefully.
Hospice Myth #4: You Can’t Keep Your Own Doctor While In Hospice Care
It’s true that when you elect hospice care, you work alongside a hospice physician to determine the services that are needed. It’s also true that you can still visit and communicate with your loved one’s, or your own, primary care physician. In most cases, hospice physicians and primary care physicians work together to understand a patient’s health history, current condition, and plan of care.
Hospice Myth #5: Hospice Care Requires a Do-Not-Resuscitate Order
Since electing hospice care requires a patient to forgo curative treatments, you may have heard that it’s necessary to sign a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. The truth is that Medicare-certified hospice providers (which are the ones you want to work with!) do not require a DNR.
For many hospice patients, it’s their own choice to sign a DNR and not be resuscitated or incubated, but it’s not a requirement.
Hospice Myth #6: Once You Choose Hospice, You Can’t Turn Back
It can be scary to choose the hospice benefit and forgo curative treatments. You might wonder, what if I/my loved one starts to get better? or what if I regret my decision?
And it’s true, sometimes patients’ conditions will appear to improve during hospice care — but that can be for many reasons. Sometimes it’s simply because the comfort care they’re receiving is making them feel better, but the condition itself isn’t actually improving. Sometimes the condition really does miraculously improve.
For any reason, it’s important to know that you can always change your mind. While this isn’t common, patients and families are able to revoke their hospice benefit election and return to trying curative treatments.
Hospice Myth #7: All Hospice Care Providers Are the Same
Many people seem to think that all healthcare facilities are the same, including hospice providers. In reality, there can be many differences between one hospice provider and another. While the main goal of hospice is usually similar — to provide the best level of comfort care possible — there are often differences in size, services offered, religious affiliations, and more. And these differences could be important for you to consider while deciding which place is right for you or your loved one.
At West Michigan Hospice, we’re different from many other hospice providers in our area. The main distinction is that we’re a smaller group, not a large corporation. We offer personal hospice care services, and we pride ourselves on knowing every patient by name. We truly enjoy the memories we make with our patients, and we often make meaningful relationships with their families along the way.
Looking For Compassionate Quality-of-Life Care? We’re Here for You
There are many misconceptions about hospice care out there. You shouldn’t turn away from the support you need because of them. At West Michigan Hospice, we know how important the decision is to choose hospice, so we’re committed to giving you all the information you need to do the right thing for your loved one. Contact us today to learn more about our services, and how they could be of help to your family.