Hospice Fort Worth

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There are many wonderful hospice providers in the greater Fort Worth area, and if you've ever had any friends who have engaged with hospice, you most often will get a glowing and wonderful evaluation of the service and process.

Hospice services are often used when an aging senior either has a terminal illness, or when their life is just nearing its natural end. If your dying elder wishes to discontinue tradition treatments and refuse heroic attempts to prolong their life, then you should consider hospice care. Being in hospice doesn't mean you've given up hope, or the will to live. Nor does it mean that your elderly person's death will happen faster.

You first need to realize that hospice is a concept, and a service, and is not a place. The goals are straightforward and simple: Control the patient's pain, alleviate distressing symptoms like nausea and dizziness, and create a physically, emotionally and spiritually comfortable environment for the elder and the family and friends. Basically, this means providing for a ‘good' death. Cure and rehabilitation aren't options any more. The hospice team members ...
... consist of many, involving a doctor, nurse, chaplain, social worker, therapists and home-care aides, homemakers and trained volunteers. They make themselves available to the dying person and the family 24 hours daily, but this doesn't mean they're providing 24/7 care. Someone is always on call to answer questions and to arrange emergency visits.

Medicare covers certified hospice programs. Most private insurance plans, HMOs and other managed care organizations also have hospice benefits. To qualify for hospice care, a doctor must establish a prognosis of less than 6 months to live. If the elder outlives the six months, Medicare allows the hospice benefits to be renewed.

Sometimes, faced with an emergency, a family member of a hospice patient calls an ambulance instead of calling a hospice physician or nurse. Hospice patients always retain the right to revoke hospice care and seek treatment at an emergency room. In such a situation, the patient cannot be removed from hospice care, but a member of the hospice program would probably meet with the patient and family to assess whether hospice care is the best choice at that point. Perhaps neither party is ready for hospice.

Hospice programs vary a bit, but most include the following types of care:

Physician services. In most cases, patients can keep their primary care physicians
Nursing care. Registered and practical hospice nurses visit the hospice patient regularly and as needed.
Home health aide and home care services. These workers provided personal care and help with the activities of daily living.
Counseling. Social workers guide the patient and the family through the dying process and help resolve family conflicts. Bereavement counseling is available for the survivors for at least a year.
Chaplain services. Pastoral counselors provide support to the patient and loved ones, but only are provided if requested.
Therapy. Physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and dietary counseling are provided on an as-needed basis.
Medical equipment. Hospital beds and medical supplies, including dressings, catheters and oxygen are often supplied.
Drugs. The goals are to relieve pain and control symptoms while minimizing grogginess and maximizing alertness. The over-arching, primary goal is to relieve pain at any cost.