When is the right time for Hospice?

One of the biggest decisions the terminally ill and their families have to make is when to accept a terminal diagnosis and switch from curative treatment measures to hospice and palliative care.

When a person stricken with a disease is given a medical prognosis of being terminally ill with at or about six months left to live provided the disease runs its normal course, it's time to transition from attempting to treat and cure the illness or ailment to a service more focused on relief of symptoms, and the mental and spiritual health of the patient and his or her loved ones. An obvious caveat to thisis that no additional curative treatment will either cure the disease or increase life expectancy by any meaningful degree.

Many times, the treatments to the diseases that kill people are not only extremely painful and uncomfortable, they're also physically and emotionally draining, and take up precious time that could be spent comfortably by the patient doing something he or she enjoys with the people he or she loves.

When treatments are no longer working, and the alternative is to be comfortable at home with the people the patient loves, then it's time for hospice.

There are many important differences between curative treatment, hospice and palliative care. These differences Re explained in detail on the blog of EGAN Home Health and Hospice in an article entitled: "Hospice: When is it Appropriate?"

If you or a loved one are nearing the end of life and debating whether to continue treatment or transition to Hospice, this article should be particularly helpful.

• 01/21/17- When is it time to transition to Hospice Care