Hospice care focuses on quality and comfort of life
Published in Church Health by Dr. Susan Nelson
Hospice is a word that some people are afraid of.
For some, it conjures the image of a patient who has “given up” on medical treatment. Others may worry that they won’t get the medical care they need once in hospice.
However, hospice care doesn’t mean all medical treatment stops. It just means you and your family have decided to focus on what makes your life more comfortable, rather than continue to seek treatment for a disease that has no cure. Hospice care is 100% covered by Medicare, and 15% of hospice patients survive more than 6 months and actually get better for a time.
Over the years, I’ve had many patients in hospice care, and almost every one of them – and their families – told me they wished they had started it sooner. Hospice helps patients and families prepare for death in a dignified way that focuses on the quality and comfort of life that remains.
Rather than being a “last resort”, I think hospice offers patients and families the chance to be at home, together during this important time in life’s journey.
Helping Veterans age well after military service
Published in Military Times by Sherman Gillums Jr. and Andrew Greene
When you think of hearing aids, canes, knee pain, memory issues, and heart problems, you might envision a grandparent or elderly person. But these indicators of aging may also describe a military veteran in their late 30s or early 40s who served on numerous deployments, worked on a flight line, or parachuted from aircraft for a living.
While new military inductees are typically some of the healthiest people in our society, many find themselves anything but healthy by the time they end their careers. In fact, many find themselves coping with an accelerated aging process that combines natural aging with the service-related wear and tear on their bodies and minds.
There has always been a national interest in ensuring that veterans receive retirement benefits for serving their country. What hasn’t been emphasized are the specific challenges veterans face as they age. A 2019 study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that Persian Gulf War veterans suffered chronic conditions — such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, diabetes, stroke, and arthritis — about 10 years sooner than non-veterans the same age. This results in lower quality of life, higher mortality rates, and shorter life expectancies, especially for women veterans.
Compared to the overall population, veterans are more likely to be male, older, retired, widowed, educated, and living in the South, according to a report prepared by the LTSS Center in Boston. They also are more likely to report fair or poor health, limitations with activities of daily living, obesity, depression, and chronic conditions. This is despite the fact that there are not stark differences in financial wealth, and veterans pay less out-of-pocket for health care than civilians.
This raises the question: What is the best way to serve aging veterans who report a higher number of health and daily living issues during a greater portion of their lives than civilians?
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Asset Expert Explains What Long-Term Insurance Covers
Published in SmartAsset by Ashley Chorpenning
While Medicare and Medicaid both help aging adults afford some of their medical expenses, they may not cover the cost of an extended illness or disability. That’s where long-term care insurance comes into play. Long-term care insurance helps policyholders pay for their long-term care needs such as nursing home care. We’ll explain what long-term care insurance covers and whether or not such coverage is something you or your loved ones should consider.
Long-Term Care Insurance Explained
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Ask an Attorney: Understanding Medicare’s hospice benefit in cases of terminal illness
Published in The Middletown Press By Robert Scalise
Caring for a loved one during the final stages of life is difficult both physically and emotionally. Thankfully, Medicare can help ease the burden.
Medicare’s hospice benefit covers any care that is reasonable and necessary for easing the course of a terminal illness. It is one of Medicare’s most comprehensive benefits, and can be extremely helpful to both a terminally ill individual and his or her family, but it is little understood and underutilized. Understanding what is offered ahead of time may help Medicare beneficiaries and their families make the difficult decision to choose hospice if the time comes.
The focus of hospice is palliative care, which helps people who are terminally ill and their families maintain their quality of life. Palliative care addresses physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual needs while supporting the terminally ill individual’s independence, access to information, and ability to make choices about health care.
To qualify for Medicare’s hospice benefit, a beneficiary must be entitled to Medicare Part A, and a doctor must certify that the beneficiary has a life expectancy of six months or less. If the beneficiary lives longer than six months, the doctor can continue to certify the patient for hospice care indefinitely.
VA launches mobile app to streamline veterans’ access to health records, resources
Published in Becker’s Healthcare by Jackie Drees
Department of Veterans Affairs released a new mobile application that aims to simplify veterans’ and caregivers’ access to healthcare information by storing it on a single platform.
Four things to know:
1. The new app, called Launchpad, organizes more than 20 VA health apps into five categories: health management, healthcare team communication, vital health information sharing, mental health improvement and quality of life improvement.
2. Users will be able to view and share their VA EHR data, schedule VA appointments and refill prescriptions, among other functions, on the app.
3. The app also includes free mental healthcare tools for individuals who are not enrolled in VA healthcare services.
4. Launchpad is available for download on Apple and Google devices.
Are You One of the 40 Million Americans Who Are Taking Care of a Loved One? Here’s What You Need to Know
It isn’t easy, but it’s important
Published in thriveglobal.com by BJ Miller, MD and Shoshana Berger
All over this country there are people like you who are driving out of their way to pick up a prescription after work, using coffee breaks to visit someone and make him lunch, missing out on dates with friends in order to make sure someone is safe before they go to bed, or taking trips to the hospital.
We see you (we are you), and you are not alone. In the United States at any one time, 40 million adults are caregivers. You are more likely to be a woman — especially if you’re doing the difficult work of bathing and toileting — though the percentage of male caregivers is on the rise: in 2009, 34 percent of caregivers were men; as of 2017 that number was 40 percent. On average you provide more than twenty hours per week of care for four years. It’s a hard job, but when they look back on the experience most people say they wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Courtesy of Africa Studio / Shutterstock
But, as the airline industry reminds us: in order to help others, we need to put on our own oxygen masks first. We’ll go even further — since someone in a predicament is relying upon you: it’s selfish to not take care of yourself. Self-care is a muscle you need to learn to flex so it becomes part of your routine, instead of a rare treat. It means paying attention to yourself, even when the only thing you want to pay attention to is your beloved.
Here are some ways to care for yourself.
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How Do I Make My Uncle Comfortable in Hospice Care?
Published in Collegian by Jacob Maslow
My uncle has a terminal disease, and after years of fighting, he has been given just a few months to live. He is going to be put in hospice care at-home, and I would like to make him as comfortable as possible. Do you have any recommendations on what I can do to make sure his last days are comfortable?
Hospice doesn’t mean that your loved one will be gone in a month or two. In general, hospice means that a patient will live for six months or less. But we’ve all heard stories of a person living for much longer than their doctors suggest. Doctors often underestimate the time a person has left to live, and if the person lives longer, no one generally complains.
The goal will be to keep your loved one comfortable.
Hospice care will help with pain management, and this is best left to the professionals. Hospice caregivers will come to the home and ensure that your loved one is giving the best pain medication and following their treatment plans. But you can help in other ways. As a person becomes weaker, they’ll have trouble with everyday tasks, even including eating and balancing. Independent living aids can help a lot.
“Let me know if there is anything I can do”
Published by unknown hospice physician
“Let me know if I can do anything.” How many times have we uttered that sentence when a friend, distant relative or a colleague has informed us they have suffered a loss of a loved one? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure most of us mean it and it seems like the right thing to say along with “I’m so sorry.” When I look back through my life, I can easily count how many times people have taken me up on my offer. As you’ve guessed, and I’m sure you can relate, it’s 0 number of times. In a time of loss and pain, people don’t want to ask others to go out of their way to help. They aren’t going to tell you they have no energy to cook, need help watching children, money to pay the bills or buy groceries. They won’t tell you they just need a hug and your gentle presence. We are afraid of impinging on people’s privacy and space. We don’t know what words to share or how to behave and in that uncertainty of what to do or say is where the subsequent isolation occurs for the one grieving. The isolation then leads to a sense of loneliness despite the rich number of friends and family willing to help but not knowing how.
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Financial Assistance for Assisted Living in Texas
The following post contains helpful resource information from assistedliving.org/Texas
STAR+PLUS
STAR+PLUS is a multifaceted program which provides reimbursement for people seeking assisted living. The STAR+PLUS Home- and Community-Based Waiver is a part of the program that helps seniors who are assessed as nursing home-eligible continue receiving their Medicaid benefits without being institutionalized. Eligible applicants are reimbursed for services that promote independence, such as assistance with personal grooming tasks, basic mobility, and caregiver respite. Services may be provided by direct care aides at an assisted living facility or by home health contractors.
Who is Eligible?
The STAR+PLUS program has absorbed many Texas Medicaid plans and services, so understanding whether you qualify can be difficult. This is due to the many caveats that may apply if you are eligible for multiple state programs under the STAR+PLUS umbrella, or for other programs like Supplemental Security Income. Eligibility requirements are listed on the Texas Health and Human Serviceswebsite, though understanding what you may qualify for is likely to require the assistance of a dedicated case worker.
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Arrangements to Make When You or a Loved One Has Terminal Illness
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, you are likely to be flooded with emotion and may be unsure of the next step to take. It’s overwhelming to receive such life-changing news. Take the time you need to digest and process this information, then begin to prepare for the next steps. There are practical arrangements that need to be made to help make the coming days easier. Let’s discuss a few important arrangements to take care of that can benefit not only you but also your surviving loved ones.
Determine Plan of Care
When you have received the terminal diagnosis, one area to consider is your plan of care. First, talk to your doctor regarding available treatments and whether they are in your best interest. They may not save your life, but they may extend it. You also want to consider whether you would like to receive palliative care. According to Verywell Health, palliative care can begin at diagnosis, unlike hospice, and will help improve your quality of life and ease your symptoms. Patients receiving palliative care often live longer, experiencing relief from ailments and discomforts. Research which company you would like to receive care from and discuss the anticipated timeline of care with your doctor and loved ones.
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