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The Louisianians who live in and around Lakeview are well known for their sense of community, caring nature, and strong family values. When tough times occur, the people of Lakeview have a reputation for pulling together and supporting each other, just as they did when Katrina rained devastation upon Louisiana’s parishes. Sadly, life itself is filled with storms, and while the weather cause most storms, others are simply a part of life. Probably none more heartbreaking than when somebody we care for develops an incurable illness. Still, these storms happen to all of us. Inevitably, we all will have to deal with the passing of loved ones because each of our lives will ultimately come to an end.
When a person we love is reaching the end of their earthly life, most of us are ill prepared and often at a loss as to where to turn for the guidance we require to help us traverse this challenging and often unfamiliar aspect of life. In many instances, hospice care is the solution we really need to support us with the challenges of attending to our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Many Lakeview residents most likely believe that hospice is a facility that terminally ill people go to pass away. But, hospice isn’t a destination, and it is not about dying. The truth is, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment which improves the quality of life for the people in our care and their family caregivers. It also lets individuals that have a life-limiting condition to lead the best quality of life possible with the time that they have been given.
Hospice also allows people approaching the end of their lives to continue to live in Lakeview and live in their homes with their family members near to them. In fact, ninety percent of the people that elect hospice as a form of treatment continue to stay in their residences until they pass on. It does not matter if they reside in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Lakeview 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 Lakeview home and administer the compassionate care you or your loved one needs, and we will provide it when you or your loved one needs it, any time, 24 hours a day. Hospice Associates is no more than a phone call away.
How is it that just one word can bring so much dread?
How can a single word cause people to cringe?
One word that many people never hope to hear…
That word is HOSPICE, and it is not nearly as scary as one may think it is. In reality, hospice is not something people should fear… it is something we should welcome.
Hospice was initially a home intended for those with a terminal illness– a place where the dying would go to live out the last days of their lives. Nowadays, hospice is no longer viewed as a destination. Instead, it is now viewed as more of a medical service that administers comfort and care to patients in their own homes. Regardless of whether that home is within a nursing home, assisted living facility, a member of the families’ house, or their very own home. Hospice can be offered to patients irrespective of where they refer to as home.
One of the biggest mistaken beliefs relating to hospice I’ve run into is that a lot people commonly presume it is only for people that only have a couple of days left to live. The truth is hospice becomes accessible as soon as a doctor informs their patient that their disease is terminal and a cure is no longer possible.
My personal experiences as a hospice nurse have given me the opportunity to witness the wonderful aspects of what hospice care offers to a family. Among the many things I commonly hear from families is that wish they would have known hospice was available well before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces the burden placed on family members and gives them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice provides, families can start to appreciate the time they have remaining with the ones they love.
I think 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 offering care to their family member. And when they discover the relief hospice provides, they are able to start appreciating the short time they have remaining with their loved one.
We help walk families through every component of the disease process, so they can comprehend how illness will advance and what they should come to expect. Then when things arise, we are available to answer all of their questions and address any worries they may have. With this knowledge and understanding, families lose the fear of the unknown and are given the resources they require to help their loved ones through the process of dying.
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 many different things, but it is not restricted to just bodily distress. I have found that spiritual pain is often just as challenging to lessen as physical suffering is. Our chaplain and social workers work collectively with our hospice nurses to attend to each of the pains which can occur.
Hospice also helps to take off the barriers you may feel your disease has put on you. For many, possessing the knowledge and recognizing what you should expect can be liberating. We don’t put restrictions on what you can or can’t do. Our goal is to help you be as comfortable and enjoy each moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
Almost all hospice care is provided in-home, regardless of the place the patient calls home. Hospice may be offered at your personal home, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Any individual, whether a family member, patient, close friend, doctor or healthcare professional, may make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are fully confidential. If you know of an individual that is in need of our services, call us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether or not we might be a suitable fit for the person you have concerns about.
The ideal occasion to learn more about hospice care is prior to you or somebody you love really requires hospice care. It’s never too late to learn more about hospice or to talk about hospice with your family. By talking about hospice care well in advance, you ensure that everybody affected possesses a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
No, people of any age with a life-limiting diagnosis can receive hospice care.
Yes. Your family physician is part of our team. Our team will be in touch and coordinate with your doctor to better understand your personal requirements.
To qualify for hospice, individuals do not need to be sedentary. Our objective is to help our patients live life to the fullest. We encourage our patients to do whatever they feel capable of doing and continue to keep on doing the activities that bring them happiness.What helps make hospice so special is that it puts emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care enables people which have developed a terminal illness to determine precisely how they wish to spend the rest of their lives. Hospice treats the entire person, and their family is considered as part of the unit of care. It emphasizes pain control and enjoying life fully.
Hospice care, even in-home hospice care is almost always 100% paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something every peson that requires can afford. Individual insurance can on occasion help subsidize the cost of things Medicare and Medicaid may not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative services to all qualified* individual that resides within a fifty mile radius of New Orleans, which includes Lakeview.
Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones, which may include:
Call Us: 504-457-2200
FAX: 504-457-2207
Physician managed hospice
and palliative care