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The people that live in and around Lutcher are well known for their sense of community, generous nature, as well as strong family bonds. When tough times happen, the citizens of Lutcher have a reputation for coming together and supporting one another, just as they did when Katrina brought destruction upon Louisiana’s parishes. Regrettably, life is full of storms, and while the weather brings most storms, others are just a part of life. Probably none more heartbreaking than when somebody we care for develops an incurable illness. Even so, these storms happen to all of us. Inevitably, we all will have to cope with the passing of our loved ones because all of our lives will ultimately come to an end.
When a loved one is reaching the end of their life’s journey, many of us are not prepared and oftentimes at a loss as to where to go for the guidance we require to help us traverse this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In many circumstances, hospice care is the answer we are in need of to help us through the challenges of caring for our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Most Lutcher residents most likely think that hospice is a place which terminally ill people go to pass away. However, hospice isn’t a destination, and it isn’t 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 allows people who have a life-limiting illness to live the best quality of life attainable in the time they have left.
Hospice also makes it possible for people nearing the end of their lives to continue to live in Lutcher and reside in their homes with their loved ones nearby them. As a matter of fact, ninety percent of people that elect hospice as a treatment program continue to reside in their residences up until their passing. It doesn’t matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Lutcher because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of where they call home. Hospice Associates’ caring staff will come to your Lutcher home and provide the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will do it whenever you or your loved one requires it, anytime, day or night. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that a single word could bring so much dread?
How could one word often cause people to cringe?
One word that most people never want to hear…
That word is HOSPICE, and it’s not as frightening as you may make it out to be. Hospice shouldn’t be a thing to fear, hospice is something to be embraced.
Hospice was initially a shelter intended for those with a fatal disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the last days of their lives. Nowadays, hospice is no longer considered a destination. Instead, it is now thought of as more of a medical service that delivers comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their own homes. Whether that home is within a nursing home, assisted living facility, a member of the families’ home, or their personal home. Hospice can be offered to patients regardless of the location they call home.
One of the biggest myths relating to hospice I have run into is that many people often believe it is reserved only for individuals that only have a few days left to live. The reality is hospice becomes accessible when a physician informs their patient that their condition is terminal and a cure is no longer a possibility.
My experiences as a hospice nurse have given me the opportunity to experience the wonderful aspects of what hospice care can provide to a family. Among the many things I commonly hear from families is that many wish they would have known hospice was available long before they did. I think 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 begin to appreciate the time they have remaining with the people they love.
I believe this is because the sooner hospice is made available to a patient, the sooner they can let go of the anxiety and fear of being the only ones giving care to their loved one. And once they recognize the relief it offers, they are able to begin appreciating the short time they have remaining with their loved one.
First, we help take friends and families through every phase of the disease’s process, so they see just how the illness will progress and what they can come to expect. Then when things develop, we are available to respond to all 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 given the resources 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 bodily distress. I have realized that spiritual pain could be equally challenging to soothe as bodily pain is. Our chaplain and social workers labor together alongside our hospice nurses to attend to all of the pains which can exist.
Hospice can also help to remove the limitations you may believe 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.
Almost all hospice care is provided in-home, irrespective of the place the patient considers their home. Care can be provided at your personal residence, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Any person, whether a member of the family, patient, close friend, physician or healthcare professional, may make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Referrals are entirely confidential. If you know of anyone that is in need of our services, get in touch with us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we might be a suitable fit for the individual you are concerned about.
The most suitable occasion to learn more about hospice care is prior to you or somebody you care for really needs hospice care. However, it’s never too late to find out about hospice or to discuss hospice with family members. By talking about hospice care in advance, you ensure that everybody affected has a good understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, people of any age with a terminal diagnosis can undergo hospice care.
Yes. Your family physician becomes part of our team. We will keep in touch and consult with your physician to better understand your individual requirements.
To receive hospice care, you don’t have to be sedentary. Our mission 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 things that bring them happiness.What helps make hospice special is that it concentrates on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care makes it possible for people which have developed a life-limiting illness to decide precisely how they would like to spend the remainder of their lives. Hospice attends to the whole person, and their family members are considered as part of the care unit. It places emphasis on pain control and enjoying life fully.
Hospice services, 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 sometimes help subsidize the cost of things Medicare and Medicaid may not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative services to any qualified* man or woman that resides within a fifty mile radius of New Orleans, that includes Lutcher.
Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones, which can include:
Physician managed hospice
and palliative care
Call Us: 504-457-2200
FAX: 504-457-2207