Myths about hospice are widespread. They include such misnomers as hospice:

  • Is a place
  • Means giving up
  • Provides support for the patient only

When in fact, hospice is not a place. It is an interdisciplinary team of dedicated healthcare professionals who come to your residence.

It is not about giving up. It is a way to spend more time not less with your family.

It does not ignore the emotional or spiritual needs of the family. Instead, it provides a support system for the entire family unit. Hospice alleviates much of the emotional stress, spiritual concerns, and physical aches and pains that come hand-in-hand with a long-term illness. By taking this pressure out of the equation, it provides the patient and their loved ones’ time to enjoy the happy occasions in life and to do meaningful activities together.

Hospice Gives Support to the Patient and Their Loved Ones

Several months ago, Marty, a 55-year old man with stomach cancer was advised by his physician to enter hospice.  Between chemotherapy and his family obligations, Marty was feeling overstressed which wasn’t helping his overall well-being.

At first, Marty wasn’t thrilled with the idea of hospice. He believed it meant he was giving up the good fight. But his disease was terminal, and the only things he was sacrificing w were treatments and medical intervention that was no longer keeping his disease at bay. Once he understood that and realized that he wouldn’t have to move to a facility to receive hospice, he was relieved. I explained to him that the Luxe Hospice team could come to his home to care for him and that all he would need to focus on was making sure his family would be well cared for and enjoying the time he had left with them.

Services Luxe Hospice Offered to Marty and His Family

Our team of healthcare professionals provided emotional, spiritual, and pain management support throughout his transition. Hospice aides were also available to help with light housework, alleviating some strain off Marty’s wife and other family members.

The stomach cancer had created digestive issues, which our team dietician was able to address. She created a limited menu of items that Marty could eat without much difficulty, and was able to modify things along the way.

Our clergy representative supported Marty through his feelings about death and dying, and a bereavement counselor helped guide both himself and his family members through the start of the grieving process.

The registered nurses and physician on our hospice team were able to adequately manage Marty’s pain levels which were not being controlled well while he was undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments.

Marty also took advantage of our therapy services giving him an outlet to express emotions he either didn’t want to or didn’t know how to share with his family and friends.

During his time in hospice, Marty was able to attend a family wedding, go to a high school reunion and most importantly, spend more quality time with his wife and children; memories that they will have for years to come.

At Luxe we pride ourselves on being able to offer high-quality hospice care that provides our patients and their loved ones a supportive and caring community of healthcare. We provide services to many southern California communities including Bel-Air, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Long Beach, Newport Beach, Santa Monica, and Pacific Palisades where we are headquartered. We can be reached at 310-459-2040, via email at mailto:minfo@LuxeHC.com.

Summary
Article Name
The Three P’s of Hospice: Patience, Pain Management and Psychotherapy
Description
In fact, hospice is not a place. It is an interdisciplinary team of dedicated healthcare professionals who come to your residence. It is not about giving up. It is a way to spend more time, not less with your family.
Author
Publisher Name
Luxe Hospice
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