Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Hospice Care and Acceptance

Looking for hospice care consists of two big steps. The first being admitting you need to look for hospice care the second being looking for hospice care.  The first step is, by far, the more difficult.

Hospice care can improve quality of life.
Hospice care lets you spend time with your loved ones.
Admitting that we need hospice care at all is very hard. I mean, we have all seen the TV shows. Medicine can cure anything. Last minute recoveries are commonplace and all you need to do is find the right doctor.
While I will never tell anyone not to look for the best care possible or to hope for a turnaround, many of these expectations are unrealistic. Doctors do not give a terminal diagnosis lightly and once you have gotten a second or third opinion and are weighing treatment options it is time to really take stock. The choice is never easy, but while considering options it is important to consider hospice care. The best hospice care options offer a focus on quality of life as well as treatment rather than simply treatment regardless of the odds at the cost of everything.

 Consider the cost of treatment to your health and emotions. If you feel that the treatment will not work and will consume your health and take your remaining time and force you to spend it in a hospital, then hospice care should be an option you consider. Do not choose it over treatment out of defeat or despair. Consider choosing hospice care out of hope that you can spend your remaining time with loved ones and in comfort as you make peace with life.