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The families that live in and near Hungarian Settlement are known for their civic pride, caring nature, and strong family values. Whenever challenging times happen, the residents of Hungarian Settlement have a history of coming together and supporting each other, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina rained chaos upon Louisiana’s towns and cities. Unfortunately, life itself is full of storms, and while the weather cause most storms, others are simply a part of life. None more heartbreaking than when someone we care for develops a terminal illness. Even so, these storms happen to each of us. Eventually, we will all have to cope with the passing of a loved one because each of our lives will ultimately come to its end.
When a loved one is reaching the end of their life’s journey, most of us are poorly prepared and oftentimes at a loss as to where to turn for the assistance we need to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar aspect of life. In many instances, hospice care is the solution we need to help us with the challenges of attending to our loved ones full-time.
Many Hungarian Settlement locals most likely believe that hospice is a place which people go to die. However, hospice is not a place, and it isn’t about dying. In reality, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment which improves the quality of life for our patients and their families. It also enables people diagnosed with a life-limiting illness to lead the best quality of life attainable with the time that they have left.
Hospice also makes it possible for people approaching the end of their lives to continue to live in Hungarian Settlement and reside in their homes with their family members near them. In fact, almost 90% of the folks that opt for hospice as a treatment method continue to reside in their homes until they pass on. It doesn’t matter if they reside in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Hungarian Settlement because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of where they call home. Hospice Associates’ experienced staff will come to your Hungarian Settlement 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, 24-7. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that just one word can instill so much anxiety?
How can a single word cause people to cringe?
One word that most people never hope to hear…
That word is HOSPICE, and it’s not nearly as scary as some people might make it out to be. In reality, hospice isn’t something to fear… it is something we should all embrace.
Hospice was initially a shelter for those with a terminal disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the last days of their lives. Today hospice is no longer considered a destination. Instead, it is now viewed as a medical service that administers comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their own homes. Regardless of whether that home is within a nursing home, assisted living facility, family members’ residence, or their own personal home. Hospice can be provided to patients no matter where they call home.
Among the leading misconceptions concerning hospice I’ve run into is that a lot people often assume hospice care is reserved exclusively for patients that may only have a couple of days left to live. The fact is hospice becomes available when a doctor tells their patient that their condition is terminal and a cure is no longer possible.
My experiences as a hospice nurse have allowed me the opportunity to partake in the beauty of what hospice care offers to a family. Among the things I often learn from families is that many 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 family members and provides them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice offers, families can start to enjoy the time they have remaining with the people they love.
I believe this is because the more quickly hospice is made available to a patient, the sooner they are able to let go of the stress and fear of being the only ones giving care to their loved one. And once they recognize the freedom it offers, they have the chance to begin appreciating the short time they have remaining with their loved one.
We help walk families through every aspect of the disease process, so they can understand how illness will progress and what they can come to anticipate. Then, as issues arise, we are available to answer each of their questions and address any concerns they may have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families shed the fear of the unfamiliar and are provided the tools they require to help their loved ones through 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 gives patients as well as families with spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be brought on by many different things, but it is not restricted to just physical pain.
Hospice also helps to remove the restraints you may feel your disease has put on you. Our objective is for you to be truly 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 may be offered at your private residence, retirement community, assisted living, group homes, or family homes.
Any person, whether a relative, patient, close friend, medical professional or healthcare professional, may make a referral to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are completely confidential. If you know of an individual 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 most suitable time to learn more about hospice care is prior to you or someone you care for really needs it. But it’s never too late to learn more about hospice or to consider hospice with your loved ones. By discussing hospice in advance, you ensure that every family member affected has a good understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, individuals of all ages with a life-limiting illness can receive hospice treatment.
Yes. Your family doctor is part of our team. We will be in touch and consult with your physician to better understand your personal requirements.
To qualify for hospice, individuals don’t have 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 up to and continue to do the activities that bring them joy.What helps make hospice special is that it puts emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care enables people that have developed a terminal illness to decide how they would like to spend the remainder of their lives. Hospice treats the whole person, and their family members are considered as part of the unit of care. It emphasizes pain management and living life fully.
Hospice services, even in-home hospice care is almost always completely covered by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everybody that needs it can afford. Individual insurance can occassionaly help subsidize the expense of items Medicaid and Medicare might not cover.
Hospice Associates offers hospice and palliative care to all qualified* man or woman that resides within a fifty mile radius of New Orleans, including Hungarian Settlement.
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