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The people that live in and around Greenwood are known for their sense of community, generous nature, and strong family bonds. Whenever tough times come, the residents of Greenwood have a reputation for coming together and supporting each other, just as they did when Katrina brought 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 somebody we care about develops an incurable illness. Still, these storms happen to each of us. Eventually, we all will need to suffer through the death of a loved one because each of our lives will ultimately come to its end.
When someone we love is coming to the end of their earthly life, most of us are ill prepared and often at a loss as to where to turn for the assistance we require to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar aspect of life. In most circumstances, hospice is the solution we are looking for to support us through the difficulties of nursing our loved ones 24-7.
The majority of Greenwood locals likely think that hospice is a place that terminally ill people go to die. However, hospice isn’t a place, 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 loved ones. It also lets individuals who have a terminal illness to lead the best life attainable with the time that they have been given.
Hospice also allows people nearing the end of their lives to continue to live in Greenwood and live in their homes with their families near them. As a matter of fact, nearly ninety percent of people that embrace hospice as a treatment continue to stay in their homes until their passing. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Greenwood because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of the place they call home. Hospice Associates’ caring staff will come to your Greenwood home and administer the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will do it when you or your loved one needs it, anytime, day or night. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that just one word can bring so much fear?
Why can a single word often cause some people to cringe?
One word that most people never hope to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it is not nearly as frightening as some people might think. Hospice should not be a thing to be feared, it is something to be embraced.
Hospice was originally a shelter for those with a fatal illness– a place where the dying would go to live out the remainder of their lives. These days hospice is no longer viewed as a destination. Instead, it is now thought of as more of a service that provides comfort and care to patients in their own homes. Whether that home is inside a nursing home, assisted living facility, relatives’ house, or their own home. Hospice can be administered to patients no matter the location they refer to as home.
One of the leading myths concerning hospice I have run into is that many people often assume hospice is reserved only for patients that may only have a short while left to live. The truth is hospice becomes available as soon as a doctor tells their patient that their condition is incurable and a cure is no longer possible.
My personal experience as a hospice nurse have offered me the opportunity to experience the blessing of what hospice care can offer to a family. Among the many things I learn from families is that many wish they would have known hospice was available well before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces the burden placed on the family and provides them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice offers, families can begin to enjoy the time they have remaining 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 providing care to their loved one. And when they see the freedom hospice can provide, they have the ability to start appreciating the time they have left with their loved one.
We help walk families through every component of the disease process, so they can comprehend how illness will progress and what they can come to anticipate. Then, as issues arise, our team is available to answer each of their questions and address any problems they might have. With this knowledge and understanding, families shed the fear of the unfamiliar and are provided the tools 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 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 confined to just bodily suffering. I have found that spiritual pain is often just as challenging to ease as bodily suffering is. Our chaplain and social workers strive together with our nurses to attend to each of the pains that can be present.
Hospice care can also help to remove the restraints you may believe your disease has put on 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 their home. Care may be offered at your personal residence, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family homes.
Any individual, whether a family member, patient, friend, doctor or healthcare professional, may make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Referrals are fully confidential. If you know of somebody that is in need of our services, phone us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we would be a suitable fit for the individual you have concerns about.
The ideal opportunity to learn about hospice care is prior to you or somebody you care for actually requires it. It is never too late to learn more about hospice care or to discuss hospice with your family. By talking about hospice in advance, you ensure that every family member impacted possesses a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
No, individuals of any age with a terminal diagnosis are able to receive hospice care.
Yes. Your physician is part of our team. We will keep in touch and work with your physician to better understand your personal requirements.
To receive hospice, individuals do not need to be inactive. Our goal is to help our patients live life to the fullest. We encourage patients in our care to do whatever they feel capable of doing and continue to do the activities that bring them joy.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 determine precisely how they wish to spend the remainder of their life. Hospice care treats the whole person, and their family is viewed as part of the care unit. It emphasizes pain management and living life fully.
Hospice care, even in-home hospice care is usually 100% paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something every peson that requires can afford. Private insurance can occassionaly help subsidize the cost of things Medicare and Medicaid may not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative care to any qualified* person that resides within a 50-mile radius of New Orleans, that includes Greenwood.
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