First-Time Caregiver?  You're Not Alone and Hospice Can HelpTaking care of someone who is seriously ill or facing a life-limiting illness can be intimidating, tiring and sometimes frustrating. But your role as a first-time caregiver can also be rewarding if you:Lean on your hospice team for support, education and hospice-specific careFollow the advice and suggestions of experienced caregiversNearly 40 percent of Americans are providing long-term care to an older family member or friend, according to the Associated Press-NORC Centers Long-Term Caregiving Poll.1 Caregivers include 59 percent women, 41 percent men, with older caregivers likely to be caring for a parent or spouse, and those under 40 likely to be caring for a grandparent or friend.Hospice supports patients and their first-time caregiversIf your loved one has a life-limiting illness that qualifies for hospice care, start by calling VITAS to explore the home-based services and benefits that are available to first-time caregivers. Resources range from weekly visits from members of a VITAS hospice medical team (physician, nurse, aide) to home delivery of equipment, supplies and medications related to your loved ones diagnosis. Most hospice care is provided at home, wherever your loved one calls home.Explore Medicare benefits for hospice careThe costs of hospice care are fully covered for hospice-eligible patients by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance plans. Talk to your love ones doctor about the requirements for a hospice referral, knowing that primary-care physicians can remain involved in your loved ones care even after they are receiving hospice services.The goal of hospice care is to relieve the burden on your terminally ill loved one by addressing pain, managing symptoms and supporting quality of life at the end of life. Hospice also supports caregivers by providing access to a hospice chaplain, social worker, volunteer and bereavement support up to 13 months after a loved ones death.The national caregiving poll found that prayer and meditation were common sources of comfort and coping for caregivers, and other strategies and tips from experienced caregivers can help first-time caregivers avoid caregiver burnout.Just remember that if youre a first-time caregiver, youre not alone.1Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. June-July 2018 poll of 1,024 U.S. adults. https://www.longtermcarepoll.org/long-term-caregiving-the-true-costs-of-caring-for-aging-adults/

Knowing when to pursue hospice care can be a difficult decision. Whether you are a patient or a family member, having the correct information about hospice services can help you decide whether this care is appropriate.Hospice is for people with advanced illness, no matter their age, culture, beliefs, or cause of illness. Hospice care supports people near the end-of-life by providing individualized plans focused on each patients wishes.What to Know About Hospice CareHospice is for patients who have 6 months or less to live according to their physician. This can be extended when needed. Patients can leave or revoke their hospice status at any time. They can also come back to hospice at any time, as long as they meet hospice eligibility guidelines. There is no time limit a patient can remain on hospice.Also, most hospice patients do not have any out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare Part A covers up to 100% of the cost of hospice care related to a hospice-eligible patients illness, with no deductible or copayment. Private or employer-provided health coverage can vary by provider. Medicaid provides hospice coverage, but it varies by state.Why Hospice?Improved Quality of LifeHospice is a service that comes to a patient in the place they prefer to be for end-of-life care. Patients at home feel better surrounded by people and things they love. To ease pain, hospice doctors try to give just enough medicine to manage the symptoms and comfort level of the patient. Hospice also provides home medical equipment and supplies related to the cause of the illness.With support and expertise from the hospice team, family and friends are a hospice patients primary caregivers. For patients who live in assisted living communities and nursing homes, the hospice team works together with the facility staff.For more than a year after a patient dies, hospice addresses the emotional and spiritual pain suffered by loved ones.They provide bereavement support to help family members and friends cope with the loss and grief.Support While Considering HospiceHospice is not an easy decision, though it may be the right one for you or your loved one. Understanding the essential aspects of hospice services can help guide this decision-making process. Hospice can help manage the illness at home or in another comfortable setting to allow for the best quality of life possible. It is important to think of hospice as a level of care designed for those with advanced illness towards the end of life, not as just a final step in the dying process. Patients also have the freedom to leave hospice care, known as revoking their hospice status, at any time should they decide to pursue more aggressive treatments.  They can then return to hospice care at any time as long as they remain eligible.  Unlike other healthcare services, there is no specific time limit for how long a patient can receive hospice care. Hospice agencies are there for you at any time to discuss your options, talk about services, and answer any of your questions, you should feel free to call at any time.  In conclusion, the hospice benefit provides an invaluable service that is tailored to the patients needs and provides immense support to them, their caregivers and loved ones. Editors Note:  This article was written by Evalisa McClure, general manager of  VITAS Healthcare in Pittsburgh. For more information about VITAS hospice services, call (800) 723-3233 or visit VITAS.com.

When a patient with an advanced illness is ready to start the conversation about hospice, one concern inevitably arises: Where will I receive care?  VITAS Healthcare has over 40 years of experience providing hospice care that focuses on improving quality of life, and we've found that most patients fare best where they're already most at ease: in their home.Choosing Home over HospitalStudies show that more than 70% of people would prefer to die at home, so its easy to see why thats where most hospice happens. Home offers the simple comfort of familiar faces and surroundings, and a reprieve from the hospital or emergency department.Receiving hospice care at home doesn't mean giving up or compromising on quality of care. As part of the Medicare Part A hospice benefit, VITAS patients are entitled to whatever their terminal diagnosis requires. This includes medications, home medical equipment, supplies, supportive services and care from a team of experts.  The interdisciplinary hospice team nurse, hospice aide, social worker, physician, chaplain, bereavement specialist and volunteers provides clinical, spiritual and psychosocial care to the patient and their family wherever they call home.Expert Care for the Patient and Their FamilyThe team will teach the designated family caregiver(s) skills for day-to-day care. Individual members of the team will coordinate and schedule regular visits. Ultimately, the patient and family are the core of the team, and their input is factored into an evolving care plan.  Our team supports the patients family during the most difficult moments of their loved ones last days of life. After a patient dies, VITAS offers bereavement support to the family for a minimum of 13 months.  For patients with advanced illness, hospice helps make the best of those final months, weeks and days. VITAS patients enjoy being home among loved ones, free of medical expenses, and in the care of a team dedicated to their comfort and dignity.Editors Note: Article submitted by Evalisa McClure, general manager for VITAS Healthcare. For more information about end-of-life care options, call VITAS Healthcare at 866.759.6695.

Recent articles in Annals of the American Thoracic Society highlight why goals-of-care (GOC) conversations and advance care planning (ACP) sessions should be common in primary practices, specialty clinics, hospitals, and care facilities for patients facing the challenges of advanced lung disease and other advanced illnesses.  Suggesting a goals-of-care conversation should be as commonplace in a clinicians daily routine as taking vital signs.  We want our healthcare colleagues to know that we are prepared to step in and help facilitate these conversations on their behalf. We will follow up by providing expert end-of-life care in patients preferred settings to achieve the comfort-focused modalities and support they want and deserve.  Engaging in and completing these conversations delivers measurable, high-impact results for all parties involved.Where to Start a Goals-of-Care Conversation: 5 QuestionsHere are 5 questions you can ask your patient with advanced illness to help guide their care:What do you understand about your disease?What are your fears and concerns about your worsening health?What is important to you?What do you want your medical care to look like moving forward?Are you ready to put your wishes and goals for care in writing so that you, your family, and your medical care team know your preferences?For patients, GOC conversations result in better outcomes and greater satisfaction of care. For healthcare providers, they result in goal-concordant care that delivers measurable cost savings for patients who have incurable diseases like advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or lung cancer.  Data cited in this quarters perspective (Ruggiero, R. and Reinke, L.), in fact, notes that the inclusion of palliative care which is built around GOC conversations and advance care planning saves an average of $3,237 per patient over the course of a hospital stay, compared with patients who do not receive palliative care.Sooner Is BetterOur message to our non-hospice, non-palliative care healthcare colleagues is that the sooner these conversations take place, the better it is for everyone involved.Editors Note: Article submitted by Evalisa McClure, general manager for VITAS (insert trademark) Healthcare. For more information about end-of-life care options, call VITAS Healthcare at 866.759.6695.