{"id":26081,"date":"2023-11-07T16:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T00:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/?p=26081"},"modified":"2025-04-17T12:50:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T19:50:57","slug":"eight-hospice-myths-debunked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/news\/eight-hospice-myths-debunked\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight Hospice Myths Debunked"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article\">\n\t<header class=\"header\">\n\t\t<span class=\"type\"><\/span>\t\t<h1>Eight Hospice Myths Debunked<\/h1>\t\t<time>November 7, 2023<\/time>\n\t<\/header>\n\t<div id=\"block_dd64ce5f06fca1de6046c976c49110a9\" class=\"shs-block block-news-article entry-content\">\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>Hospice is a model of medical care that one can choose when nearing the end of life that focuses on managing symptoms and optimizing quality of life over curative treatment.&nbsp;&nbsp;While hospice has been around for decades, for many, it is still a misunderstood model of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHospice care offers a patient and their family compassionate care tailored to their specific needs,\u201d said Nurse Practitioner\u00a0Hilary Licardi, DNP, of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/find-a-location\/samaritan-evergreen-hospice\/\">Samaritan Evergreen Hospice<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMany family members express gratitude for the care their loved one received in hospice and at the same time say they wish they had known about hospice as a care option sooner. Unfortunately, there is a general lack of awareness and understanding in our culture of what hospice care is, how it can benefit a patient and how someone can access hospice care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following are common myths of hospice and the facts to dispel them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-1-hospice-is-a-place\">Myth 1: Hospice Is a Place<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are hospice facilities that provide short-term hospice care for patients, such as Samaritan\u2019s 12-bed hospice house in Albany, most hospice support is provided in a patient\u2019s home. Typically, an interdisciplinary team comes to a patient\u2019s home to provide care. The patient could be cared for in their private residence, a nursing home or a family member\u2019s home \u2013 wherever it is they call home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople often choose to switch to hospice so that medical care and support comes to them so they can avoid hospitalizations, regular office visits and lab draws,\u201d said Licardi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-2-hospice-is-giving-up\">Myth 2: Hospice Is Giving Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the early stage of a disease, a patient will often choose to pursue every avenue of treatment available to them, hoping for a cure. As treatment fails, priorities can change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a disease progresses, hope can have a new meaning for a patient,\u201d Licardi said. \u201cOften, we see a patient hoping for the best quality of life so they can enjoy time with family and friends. They often want to experience comfort and peace, something many find in their own home setting surrounded by familiar people, pets and possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHospice makes goals like these possible because a patient\u2019s quality of life is our top priority,\u201d said Licardi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-3-hospice-is-only-for-the-final-days-of-life\">Myth 3: Hospice Is Only for the Final Days of Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hospice care can be accessed up to six months before an expected death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA person may consider hospice care an option at the point when they no longer want to pursue aggressive treatment, or when treatment is no longer helping. They may be struggling with pain or breathlessness and want those symptoms managed so they may still spend quality time with family and friends,\u201d said Licardi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a person is on hospice care, they can choose to remain on that care for longer than six months. They can also choose to leave hospice care altogether if they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe end of life can be difficult to predict,\u201d said Licardi. \u201cWe do not stop caring for a patient or kick them out of hospice if they live longer than six months \u2013 the timeframe is a general guideline only.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-4-hospice-staff-hasten-death\">Myth 4: Hospice Staff Hasten Death<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe goal with hospice care is to manage a patient\u2019s symptoms, such as pain, breathlessness and anxiety, so that they can live the best life they can,\u201d explained Licardi. \u201cWe use medications to relieve symptoms only and never to speed up the dying process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe listen carefully to a patient and hear what they most want from their life at any given time and then work to find the right balance of medication to support them in their goals,\u201d Licardi added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-5-hospice-is-giving-up-control\">Myth 5: Hospice Is Giving up Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cWhen we first meet with a patient and their family, we set up a care plan together. Then we regularly check in with the patient and family to see how that plan is going, and if the patient wishes to make alterations in the plan, we make them,\u201d said Licardi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur primary goal is to help the patient have the best quality of life they can, and we support them and their families in making that possible, whether it is minimizing pain, increasing wakefulness so they can spend more time with their loved ones \u2013 really, whatever the patient feels is most important,\u201d Licardi explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-6-hospice-is-only-for-the-elderly\">Myth 6: Hospice Is Only for the Elderly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hospice care is available to anyone of any age \u2013 children, adults and the elderly. A physician must certify that a patient is terminally ill with six months or less to live if the disease takes its normal progression. The person can have any type of serious illness, be it cancer, heart disease, dementia or other terminal conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-7-hospice-is-too-expensive\">Myth 7: Hospice Is Too Expensive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid and by most private insurance plans, often at 100%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That coverage can include medications treating symptoms and addressing the diseases causing a limited life expectancy; medical equipment like hospital beds, wheelchairs, and oxygen; personal care supplies and the costs of professional staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-myth-8-you-must-be-referred-by-your-doctor\">Myth 8: You Must Be Referred by Your Doctor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone, including the patient, caregiver or family member, can make a referral for hospice care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHospice programs offer the latest in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/health-services\/all-services\/samaritan-palliative-care\/\">palliative and end-of-life care<\/a>&nbsp;to alleviate a person\u2019 symptoms and improve their quality of life. Each patient and their caregivers receive individualized care that meets their unique physical, emotional and spiritual needs in an often very difficult time,\u201d Licardi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have questions or concerns about whether hospice care is right for you or your loved one, contact Samaritan Evergreen Hospice at&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:541-812-4662\">541-812-4662<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<aside>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/hospice-caregiver-providing-assistance-CO.jpg\" class=\"attachment-cta size-cta wp-post-image\" alt=\"A smiling nurse leaning down to talk to an elderly patient with her hands on her patient&#039;s shoulders.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/hospice-caregiver-providing-assistance-CO.jpg 360w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/hospice-caregiver-providing-assistance-CO-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/hospice-caregiver-providing-assistance-CO-120x100.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t<\/aside>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hospice is a model of medical care that one can choose when nearing the end of life that focuses on managing symptoms and optimizing quality of life over curative treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":25299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_shs_workflow_notes":"","_shs_exclude_from_navigation":false,"_shs_promote_article_on_blogs":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"news-topics":[290],"news-types":[270],"services":[242],"specialty":[32,18],"class_list":["post-26081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","news-topics-senior-health","news-types-feature-article","services-hospice-palliative-care","specialty-geriatric-medicine","specialty-internal-medicine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26081"},{"taxonomy":"news-topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topics?post=26081"},{"taxonomy":"news-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-types?post=26081"},{"taxonomy":"services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/services?post=26081"},{"taxonomy":"specialty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialty?post=26081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}