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    Hospice is a philosophy of care, not a place

    John Schumacher of Schumacher Law, PC is proud to sponsor
    this educational information from Help for Health Hospice.

    Hospice is traditionally thought to be for patients who are in the last six months of life. However, patients may receive hospice services for as long as their disease progresses and a physician certifies the terminal illness. Hospice care may be provided in your home, an inpatient Hospice Home such as Help for Health operates locally in Riverton, a long-term care facility, or an assisted living facility. Family, friends, and health care providers may be involved in hospice care.

    Because hospice is focused on living, people who utilize hospice services early in the course of a life-limiting illness have more time to develop a personal and professional rapport with hospice staff and volunteers, discuss goals, and create an optimal plan of care designed around patient and family wishes. Hospice services include medical, nursing, grief counseling, social services, pastoral support, family education, and volunteers. The goal of hospice is to help manage an individual’s symptoms and to alleviate or minimize pain and suffering. Hospice provides comfort measures rather than life-prolonging or curative measures. In many cases according to a study in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, hospice extended life an average of 29 days. By carefully managing the treatment of symptoms, and care for physical and emotional well-being, patients felt better, which may have given them the will and fortitude to live longer.

    Health crises, ER visits, and hospitalizations can become routine toward the end of life, which can become very distressing. Receiving hospice care is safer and offers a better quality of life. Hospice care allows terminally ill people and their families to remain together in the comfort and dignity of familiar surroundings.

    Many Americans have a misconception that Hospice care is expensive and unaffordable. Hospice level of care costs has been covered by Medicare since 1982. Wyoming Medicaid and some private insurance also help cover Hospice level of care costs.

    A new addition to the annual report from the NHPCO (National Hospice and Palliative Organization) includes state rankings of individuals enrolled in Medicare who died under the care of hospice. From Utah, with the highest hospice care usage of 59.4 percent, to Alaska which came in at the bottom of the list with 22.5 percent of beneficiaries receiving hospice at the time of death. Per the NHPCO 2017, Wyoming was ranked at 31.7%.

    Fremont County is fortunate to have great choices for both inpatient Hospice care and in-home Hospice services. Ask your healthcare provider about getting a consultation to answer any questions you might have.

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