Comments on: A question….

By: Jody

Jody — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 23:43:17 +0000

I feel very alone even though my brothers are stepping up to the plate.

By: FrankC

FrankC — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:55:22 +0000

I have a similar road to travel with Alice. She is in end stage COPD and is getting worse every month. They are still treating her but it is mostly making her as comfortable as possible.

By: Jody

Jody — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:25:40 +0000

Yeah, I have rough seas ahead with Mom.

By: bowser

bowser — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 20:55:16 +0000

Hospice includes palliative care and NO attempt at treatment of the underlying terminal problem.

Palliative care may or may not include treatment of the terminal problem.

One can be under palliative care only and be “coded”, in other words have extreme measures applied to preserve life.

In hospice, patients are under palliative care and are not “coded”. If they have a life-threatening seizure, they are not treated but allowed to die.

Palliative care is simply the treatment of pain and discomfort. That can occur anywhere under any conditions.

Hospice is the administration of palliative care without treatment of the terminal conditional with the prognosis of the patient dying within 6 months without such treatment.

In hospice, one may be dying of bladder cancer and develop a bladder infection. There will be no chemo or radiation of the cancer, even though the pain, anxiety, nausea and depression will be treated. The infection, however, would well be treated with antibiotics as it makes life miserable for the patient.

By: FrankC

FrankC — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 20:28:16 +0000

Palliative care continues to treat the disease with a goal of life extension while giving the comfort associated with hospice.

The goal of hospice is only to give comfort without any therapeutic care or attempt to extend life.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 20:21:42 +0000

I think of a hospice as an institution where terminally ill people go to spend their last days. They don't try to cure what can't be cured, but focus on making their patients comfortable, which is known as palliative care. When I went to wikipedia to check my recollection, I found a neat summary that contradicts me a bit, validates Steve, and suggests somebody in need of hospice could have the best of both worlds:

Hospice care is a type of philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill or seriously ill patient's pain and symptoms, and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs....The modern concept of hospice includes palliative care for the incurably ill given in such institutions as hospitals or nursing homes, but also care provided to those who would rather spend their last months and days of life in their own homes.

wikipedia:Hospice

By: SteveS

SteveS — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 19:55:22 +0000

Hospice is normally care at home by a caretaker such as you with Hospice personal giving you advice, visits and or giving the necessary medication for comfort. That’s how it worked out with my dad. We cared for him till death at home.

Palliative is normally care in a hospital or a health care facility with professional nurses and doctors providing the care and treatment. That’s how it worked out with my mom. The hospital, nurses and doctors cared for her till death.

Now, that being said Hospice care can be obtained in a hospital and medical facility and Palliative care can be arranged at ones home, but it is not the norm for either care. It comes down to cost and the severity of the care needed.