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The families that live in and around Houma are well known for their sense of community, caring nature, as well as strong family bonds. When challenging times come, the residents of Houma have a history of pulling together and helping each other, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina brought devastation upon Louisiana’s parishes. Regrettably, life itself is filled with storms, and while the weather brings most storms, others are simply a part of living. None more distressing than when someone we care for develops an incurable illness. Still, these storms happen to every family. Eventually, we will all have to deal with the loss of our loved ones because all of our lives will ultimately come to an end.
When someone we love is reaching the end of their life’s journey, many of us are ill prepared and often at a loss as to where to look for the guidance we require to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In many circumstances, hospice care is the solution we are seeking to help us through the challenges of looking after our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Many Houma residents most likely believe that hospice is a facility that sick people go to die. But, hospice is not a place, and it is not about dying. The truth is, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment which improves the quality of life for our patients and their families. It also allows people with a life-limiting illness to lead the best 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 Houma and reside in their homes with their loved ones nearby them. In fact, around ninety percent of the folks who opt for hospice as a treatment program continue to stay in their residences up until their passing. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Houma because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of the place they call home. Hospice Associates’ specialized staff will travel to your Houma home and administer the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will provide 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 a single word could cause so much anxiety?
How could one word cause people to cringe?
One word that a lot of people never hope to hear…
That word is HOSPICE, and it is not nearly as frightening as one may think. In truth, hospice isn’t something we should fear… it is something we should all welcome.
Hospice was originally a shelter for those with an incurable disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the remainder of their lives. Today hospice is no longer considered a place. Instead, it is now viewed as more of a medical service that provides comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their homes. Regardless of whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, a member of the families’ residence, or their own personal home. Hospice can be administered to patients irrespective of the location they consider home.
One of the most prevalent myths about hospice I have come across is that a lot people often presume hospice care is exclusively for patients that may 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 condition is incurable and a cure is no longer attainable.
My personal experience as a hospice nurse have offered me the opportunity to experience the wonderful aspects of what hospice care can provide to a family. Among the many things I often 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 provides them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice provides, families can begin to appreciate the short time they have remaining with the ones 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 anxiety and fear of being the only ones offering care to their loved one. And when they understand the freedom hospice can provide, they have the capacity to begin appreciating the time they have remaining with their loved one.
First, we help take family members through every aspect of the disease process, so that they see exactly how the illness will progress and what they can come to expect. Then when things arise, we are available to answer all of their questions and tend to any concerns 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 families. Comfort is a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. Hospice offers patients and family members with spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be caused by many different things, but it isn’t restricted to just bodily pain.
Hospice care also helps to remove the limits you might believe your disease has placed upon you. Our mission is for you to be comfortable and live each moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
Almost all hospice care is provided in-home, irrespective of the place the patient calls home. Hospice Care may be provided at your personal home, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Anyone, whether a member of the family, patient, close friend, personal doctor or healthcare professional, may make a referral to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are entirely confidential. If you know of an individual that is in need of our services, contact us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we might be a good fit for the person you are concerned for.
The ideal occasion to learn more about hospice care is prior to you or someone you care for actually requires it. It’s never too late to learn more about hospice or to talk about hospice with your family. By discussing hospice in advance, you ensure that everybody affected has a good understanding of what is available to them.
No, individuals of any age with a terminal diagnosis can undergo hospice treatment.
Yes. Your doctor is part of our team. We will be in touch and consult with your doctor to better understand your individual needs.
To qualify for hospice care, you do not need to be sedentary. Our mission is to help our patients live life to the fullest. We encourage people in our care to do whatever they feel capable of doing and continue to keep on doing the things that bring them joy.What makes hospice so special is that it places emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice makes it possible for people that have developed a terminal illness to determine the way they would like to spend the rest of their life. Hospice ministers to the entire person, and their family members are viewed as part of the unit of care. It places emphasis on pain control and enjoying life fully.
Hospice services, even in-home hospice is almost always 100% paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everybody that needs it can afford. Private insurance can occassionaly help subsidize the cost of items Medicare and Medicaid might not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative services to any qualified* person that resides within a 50-mile radius of New Orleans, that includes Houma.
Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones, which can include:
Call Us: 504-457-2200
FAX: 504-457-2207
Physician managed hospice
and palliative care