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The families who reside in and around Abita Springs are known for their civic pride, generous nature, and strong family values. Whenever difficult times happen, the families of Abita Springs have a history of pulling together and supporting one another, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina brought devastation upon Southern Louisiana’s communities. Unfortunately, life has many storms, and while the weather brings most storms, others are simply part of living. Likely none more distressing than when a person we care about develops a terminal illness. Still, these storms happen to all of us. Inevitably, we all will have to suffer through the loss of our loved ones because each of our lives will ultimately come to an end.
When a loved one is coming to the end of their earthly life, most of us are poorly prepared and frequently at a loss as to where to look for the assistance we need to help us traverse this challenging and often unfamiliar aspect of life. In most circumstances, hospice care is the answer we need to support us through the challenges of caring for our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Many Abita Springs locals likely think that hospice is a place which people go to pass away. However, hospice isn’t a place, and it isn’t about dying. In reality, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical care which improves the quality of life for the people in our care and their loved ones. It also allows individuals diagnosed with a terminal illness to lead the best quality of life attainable with the time that they have been given.
Hospice also allows people approaching the end of their lives to continue to live in Abita Springs and reside in their homes with their families near them. As a matter of fact, around ninety percent of people who embrace hospice as a form of treatment continue to remain in their homes until their passing. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Abita Springs because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of the place they call home. Hospice Associates’ experienced staff will travel to your Abita Springs home and deliver the compassionate care you or your loved one needs, and we will do it whenever you or your loved one requires it, anytime, 24-7. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that a single word could cause so much fear?
Why could one particular word often cause people to cringe?
One word that a lot of people never want to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it is not as scary as one may make it out to be. Hospice should not be a thing to fear, it is something to be embraced.
Hospice was originally a home for those with a life-limiting illness– a place where the dying would go to live out the final days of their lives. Today hospice is no longer viewed as a destination. Instead, it is now thought of as a service that offers comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their own homes. Regardless of whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, a member of the families’ house, or their personal home. Hospice can be provided to patients no matter the location they call home.
Among the biggest myths concerning hospice I’ve run into is that many people quite often presume hospice is reserved exclusively for patients that may only have a couple of days left to live. The reality is hospice becomes available when a doctor tells their patient that their condition is incurable and a cure is no longer a possibility.
My personal experiences as a hospice nurse have given me the chance to experience the blessing of what hospice care offers to a family. Among the things I frequently learn from families is that they wish they would have known hospice was an option well before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces much of the burden placed on families and provides them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice offers, families can begin to appreciate the short time they have remaining with the ones they love.
I think this is because the sooner hospice is made available to a family, the sooner they are able to let go of the stress and fear of being the only ones offering care to their family member. And when they understand the relief hospice can provide, they have the capacity to start enjoying the time they have left with their loved one.
We help walk families through each and every facet of the disease process, so they can comprehend how illness will progress and what they should come to expect. Then, as things develop, our team is available to answer each of their questions and address any problems they may have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families lose the fear of the unfamiliar and are given the resources they are in need of to help their loved ones throughout the dying process.
This is not only for our patients but also for their families. Comfort is a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. Hospice gives patients and families with spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be brought on by many different things, however, it isn’t limited to just physical pain.
Hospice also helps to clear away the limitations you may think your condition has put upon you. Our goal is for you to be comfortable and live each moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
Virtualy all hospice care is provided in-home, regardless of the place the patient calls their home. Care may be offered at your private residence, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family homes.
Anyone, whether a member of the family, patient, friend, doctor or healthcare professional, can make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Referrals are completely confidential. If you know of an individual that is in need of our services, get in touch with us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we may be a good fit for the individual you have concerns about.
The most suitable occasion to learn about hospice care is well before you or someone you care for really requires it. It is never too late to learn about hospice or to discuss hospice with your family. By talking about hospice well in advance, you ensure that everyone impacted has a good understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, individuals of any age with a terminal diagnosis are able to receive hospice treatment.
Yes. Your family physician becomes part of our team. Our team will keep in touch and partner with your doctor to best understand your individual needs.
To qualify for hospice, individuals don’t need to be inactive. Our mission is to help our patients live their lives to the fullest. We encourage patients in our care to do whatever they feel up to and continue to keep on doing the activities that bring them joy.What makes hospice special is that it places emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care makes it possible for people which have developed a life-limiting illness to determine precisely how they would like to spend the remainder of their lives. Hospice care attends to the whole person, and their family is considered as part of the unit of care. It places emphasis on pain control and enjoying life fully.
Hospice care, even in-home hospice care is usually completely covered by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something every peson that requires can afford. Private insurance can on occasion help fund the cost of things Medicaid and Medicare might not cover.
Hospice Associates offers hospice and palliative services to any qualified* person that resides within a 50-mile radius of New Orleans, which includes Abita Springs.
Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones, including:
Call Us: 504-457-2200
FAX: 504-457-2207
Physician managed hospice
and palliative care