When is it time to consider hospice?

Hospice is end-of-life care in which health professionals give individuals’ medical and emotional support. Hospice can be provided in a patient’s home, hospice center, hospital, nursing home, or long-term care facility. An individual who is diagnosed with a terminal illness is eligible for hospice after a physician certifies that they may have a life expectancy of six months or less. Deciding when it’s time for a loved one to go into hospice is a complicated emotional issue and, because of this, families often wait until the final days of their loved one’s life to request this form of care. However, if you have a terminally ill family member that is eligible, requesting hospice earlier can bring them more comfort and make the end of life process less turbulent. Hospice care can allow your loved one to get the assistance that they need and experience as little pain as possible during this difficult process. If you’re having trouble deciding when hospice care should be implemented, remember this: when the goal of medical treatment starts to become keeping an individual comfortable rather than trying to cure their illness, it is definitely time to consider hospice.