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The Louisianians who live in and around Grand Point are well known for their civic pride, caring nature, and strong family values. Whenever tough times happen, the people of Grand Point have a history of pulling together and helping one another, just as they did when Katrina rained chaos upon Louisiana’s towns and cities. Regrettably, life is filled with storms, and while the forces of nature cause most storms, others are simply part of life. Probably none more devastating than when someone we care for develops a terminal illness. Still, these storms happen to every one of us. Eventually, we will all need to suffer through the death of a loved one because each of our lives will ultimately come to its end.
When a loved one is coming to the end of their lives, most of us are poorly prepared and frequently at a loss as to where to look for the assistance we need to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In most circumstances, hospice care is the solution we need to help us through the difficulties of caring for our loved ones full-time.
Many Grand Point locals likely think that hospice is a place that terminally ill people go to pass away. But, hospice isn’t a destination, and it isn’t about dying. In reality, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment that improves the quality of life for our patients and their loved ones. It also permits people with a terminal condition to experience the best life possible in the time they have remaining.
Hospice also allows people approaching the end of their lives to continue to live in Grand Point and remain in their homes with their families near them. As a matter of fact, almost 90% of the folks that opt for hospice as a form of treatment continue to reside in their homes until their passing. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Grand Point because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, irrespective of the place they call home. Hospice Associates’ caring staff will come to your Grand Point home and provide the compassionate care you or your loved one needs, and we will provide it whenever you or your loved one requires it, any time, 24 hours a day. Hospice Associates is only a phone call away.
How is it that just one word could bring so much fear?
How can one particular word often cause some people to cringe?
One word that a lot of people never hope to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it is not as frightening as one may make it out to be. Hospice should not be something to fear, hospice is something to be embraced.
Hospice was initially a home for those with a life-limiting illness– a place where the dying would go to live out the remainder of their lives. These days hospice is no longer considered a place. Instead, it is now viewed as more of a service that provides comfort and care to patients in their own homes. Whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, family members’ home, or their personal home. Hospice can be administered to patients no matter the location they refer to as home.
Among the most prevalent mistaken beliefs about hospice I have come across is that many people quite often presume it is reserved exclusively for patients that only have a short while left to live. The reality is hospice becomes accessible as soon as a physician informs their patient that their disease is terminal and a cure is no longer possible.
My experience as a hospice nurse have given me the to experience the blessing of what hospice care can provide to a family. One of the many things I frequently hear from family members is that they wish they would have known hospice was an option long before they did. I think 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 people they love.
I believe this is because the more quickly hospice is offered to a family, the sooner they are able to let go of the stress and fear of being the only ones giving care to their family member. And once they recognize the freedom it can provide, they have the opportunity to begin appreciating the short time they have left with their loved one.
We help walk families through every component of the disease process, so they can comprehend how disease will progress and what they should come to expect. Then, as things arise, our team is available to answer each of their questions and address any worries they may have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families lose the fear of the unfamiliar and are provided the tools they are in need of to help their loved ones through the dying process.
This is not only for our patients but also for their family members. 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 several things, but it is not restricted to just physical distress. I have come to realize that spiritual pain is often equally as challenging to ease as bodily pain is. Our chaplain and social workers work collectively alongside our hospice nurses to treat all of the pains that might occur.
Hospice can also help to remove the restrictions you might feel your disease has placed upon you. Our objective is for you to be comfortable and live each moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
The majority of hospice care is provided in-home, irrespective of the place the patient considers home. Hospice may be given at your private home, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Any individual, whether a member of the family, patient, friend, medical professional or healthcare professional, may make a referral to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are fully confidential. If you know of somebody that is in need of our services, call us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we might be a good fit for the person you have concerns about.
The ideal time to learn about hospice care is well before you or someone you care for really needs it. But itis never too late to learn about hospice or to explore hospice with your family. By talking about hospice in advance, you ensure that everyone affected possesses a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, people of all ages with a life-limiting illness can receive hospice treatment.
Yes. Your physician becomes part of our team. Our team will communicate and coordinate with your physician to better understand your personal needs.
To qualify for hospice care, individuals do not need to be inactive. Our goal is to help our patients live their lives to the fullest. We encourage our patients to do whatever they feel capable of doing and continue to do the activities that bring them joy.What helps make hospice special is that it focuses on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice enables people which have developed a life-limiting illness to specify the way they would like to spend the remainder of their life. Hospice care attends to the whole person, and their family members are viewed as part of the unit of care. It emphasizes pain management and living life fully.
Hospice services, 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 expense of things Medicare and Medicaid might not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative services to any qualified* person that resides within a fifty mile radius of New Orleans, that includes Grand Point.
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