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The Louisianians that live in and near Eden Isle are known for their sense of community, caring nature, as well as strong family bonds. When difficult times come, the families of Eden Isle have a reputation for pulling together and supporting each other, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina rained chaos upon Louisiana’s communities. Sadly, life is filled with storms, and while the weather cause most storms, others are simply a part of life. None more distressing than when a person we care about develops a terminal illness. Still, these storms happen to all of us. Eventually, we all will need to cope with the passing of our loved ones because all 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 not prepared and oftentimes at a loss as to where to go for the guidance we require to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In most instances, hospice care is the solution we are seeking to support us through the difficulties of nursing our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Many Eden Isle natives probably think that hospice is a facility that people go to pass away. However, hospice isn’t a destination, and it is not about dying. In reality, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical care that improves the quality of life for the people in our care and their family caregivers. It also permits people diagnosed with a life-limiting condition to live the best quality of life attainable in the time they have remaining.
Hospice also makes it possible for people nearing the end of their lives to continue to live in Eden Isle and remain in their homes with their families near them. As a matter of fact, ninety percent of the people who elect hospice as a treatment option continue to reside in their homes until they pass on. It doesn’t matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Eden Isle because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, irrespective of where they call home. Hospice Associates’ caring staff will come to your Eden Isle home and deliver the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will do it whenever you or your loved one needs it, any time, day or night. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that just one word can produce so much dread?
How does one particular word cause some people to cringe?
One word that most people never hope to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it’s not as frightening as some people might make it out to be. Hospice isn’t a thing to be feared, it is something to be welcomed.
Hospice was originally a shelter for those with a fatal disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the final days of their lives. Today hospice is no longer considered a place. Instead, it is now thought of as more of a service that offers comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their homes. Regardless of whether that home is inside a nursing home, assisted living facility, a member of the families’ house, or their own individual home. Hospice can be offered to patients regardless of the location they consider home.
One of the leading misconceptions concerning hospice I have come across is that a lot people quite often assume it is reserved exclusively for people that only have a couple of days left to live. The fact is hospice becomes accessible as soon as a physician informs their patient that their disease is terminal and a cure is no longer a possibility.
My personal experience as a hospice nurse have allowed me the opportunity to witness the beauty of what hospice care can offer to a family. One of the many things I commonly learn from family members is that wish they would have known hospice was an option well before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces the burden placed on the family and gives them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice provides, families can start to enjoy the time they have left with the ones they love.
I believe this is because the sooner hospice is offered to a patient’s family, the sooner they can let go of the anxiety and fear of being the only ones giving care to their loved one. And when they recognize the freedom it provides, they have the capacity to start appreciating the short time they have remaining with their loved one.
Initially, we help walk families through every aspect of the disease process, so that they comprehend how the illness will advance and what they can come to expect. Then when things occur, we are readily available to answer all of their questions and address any concerns they may have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families shed the fear of the unknown and are provided the tools they are in need of to help their loved ones throughout the process of dying.
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 provides patients and family members spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be caused by many different things, but it is not limited to just bodily distress. I have found that spiritual pain is often just as challenging to soothe as bodily pain is. Our chaplain and social workers work collectively with our nurses to treat each of the pains that might be present.
Hospice even helps to remove the restraints you may suspect your condition has placed on you. For some, gaining the awareness and understanding what you should expect may be liberating. We don’t put restrictions on what you can or can not do. Our goal is to help you be as comfortable and experience each and every moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
The majority of hospice care is provided in-home, regardless of the place the patient calls home. Hospice Care may be given at your private home, retirement community, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Any individual, whether a relative, patient, close friend, physician or medical professional, can make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are completely confidential. If you know of an individual that is in need of our services, phone us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we might be a suitable fit for the person you are concerned for.
The most suitable occasion to learn about hospice care is before you or somebody you love actually needs it. But it’s never too late to learn more about hospice or to discuss hospice with family members. By discussing hospice care well in advance, you ensure that everyone impacted possesses a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, individuals of all ages with a terminal diagnosis are able to undergo hospice treatment.
Yes. Your physician is part of our team. We will keep in touch and work with your physician to better understand your individual requirements.
To receive hospice, you don’t need to be inactive. Our objective is to help our patients live life to the fullest. We encourage people in our care to do whatever they feel up to and continue to do the activities that bring them happiness.What helps make hospice so special is that it focuses on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice allows people that have developed a terminal illness to specify precisely how they would like to spend the remainder of their life. Hospice treats the entire 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 paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everyone that needs it can afford. Private insurance can on occasion help fund the cost of items Medicare and Medicaid may not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative services to every qualified* individual that resides within a 50-mile radius of New Orleans, which includes Eden Isle.
Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones, often including:
Call Us: 504-457-2200
FAX: 504-457-2207
Physician managed hospice
and palliative care