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The people who live in and around Meraux are known for their sense of community, generous nature, as well as strong family values. When challenging times occur, the people of Meraux have a history of coming together and supporting one another, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina rained destruction upon Southern Louisiana’s communities. Unfortunately, life is full of storms, and while the forces of nature brings most storms, others are just a part of life. Likely none more heartbreaking than when somebody we care for develops an incurable illness. Still, these storms happen to every one of us. Inevitably, we will all have to suffer through the passing of a loved one because all of our lives will ultimately come to its end.
When someone we love is reaching the end of their life, many of us are not prepared and often at a loss as to where to go for the guidance we need to help us traverse this challenging and often unfamiliar aspect of life. In most circumstances, hospice is the answer we are looking for to help us through the challenges of caring for our loved ones 24-7.
Many Meraux locals most likely think that hospice is a place which terminally ill people go to pass away. But, hospice isn’t a place, and it isn’t about dying. In reality, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment that improves the quality of life for the people in our care and their families. It also makes it possible for people that have a terminal illness to live the best quality of life attainable with the time they have been given.
Hospice also makes it possible for people approaching the end of their lives to continue to live in Meraux and live in their homes with their loved ones near to them. In fact, around ninety percent of the folks who opt for hospice as a treatment option continue to remain in their homes up until they pass on. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Meraux because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of the place they call home. Hospice Associates’ experienced staff will come to your Meraux home and deliver the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will provide it when you or your loved one requires it, anytime, day or night. Hospice Associates is only a phone call away.
How is it that one word could cause so much anxiety?
Why could one word cause people to cringe?
One word that most people never want to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it is not as scary as some may think. Hospice shouldn’t be something to be feared, hospice is something to be embraced.
Hospice was originally a home for those with a life-limiting disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the final days of their lives. These days hospice is no longer thought of as a place. Instead, it is now viewed as a medical service that offers comfort and care to patients in their homes. Whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, a member of the families’ house, or their own individual home. Hospice can be provided to patients regardless of the location they consider home.
One of the leading myths regarding hospice I’ve run into is that many people commonly think it is only for people that only have a few days left to live. The reality is hospice becomes available as soon as a doctor tells their patient that their condition is terminal and a cure is no longer attainable.
My experience as a hospice nurse have allowed me the opportunity to partake in the beauty of what hospice care can provide to a family. One of the things I commonly hear from family members is that wish they would have known hospice was an option long before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces the burden placed on families and provides them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice provides, families can start to enjoy the time they have left with the people they love.
I believe this is because the more quickly hospice is made available to a patient, the sooner they can let go of the anxiety and fear of being the only ones providing care to their loved one. And when they recognize the freedom it offers, they can start enjoying the short time they have left with their loved one.
Initially, we take family members through every aspect of the disease’s process, so that they comprehend just how the illness will advance and what they can come to expect. Then when things occur, we are available to answer all of their questions and tend to any concerns they may have. With this knowledge and understanding, families lose 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 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 distress. I have come to realize that spiritual pain can be equally challenging to alleviate as bodily suffering . Our chaplain and social workers strive collectively with our hospice nurses to attend to all of the pains that can be present.
Hospice care can also help to clear away the restraints you may think your condition has placed on 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 calls their home. Care may be given at your private home, retirement community, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Any individual, whether a relative, patient, friend, doctor or medical professional, can make a referral to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are totally confidential. If you know of anyone that is in need of our services, phone us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether or not we may be a good fit for the individual you have concerns about.
The best time to learn more about hospice care is prior to you or someone you care for really needs it. However, itis never too late to learn about hospice or to explore hospice with your family. By talking about hospice well in advance, you ensure that everyone impacted possesses a good understanding of what is available to them.
No, people of all ages with a life-limiting illness are able to receive hospice care.
Yes. Your family doctor is part of our team. Our team will be in touch and coordinate with your doctor to better understand your individual requirements.
To qualify for hospice, you do not need to be sedentary. Our objective is to help our patients live their lives to the fullest. We encourage our patients 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 places emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care allows people that have developed a terminal illness to decide the way they would like to spend the rest of their lives. Hospice care attends to the entire person, and their family members are considered as part of the care unit. It places emphasis on pain control and living life fully.
Hospice care, even in-home hospice is almost always completely covered by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something every peson that needs it can afford. Individual insurance can occassionaly help fund the cost of things Medicare and Medicaid may not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative care to all qualified* man or woman that resides within a 50-mile radius of New Orleans, including Meraux.
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