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The people that live in and around Picayune are well known for their civic pride, generous nature, and strong family bonds. When challenging times occur, the people of Picayune have a reputation for coming together and supporting one another, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina brought chaos upon Southern Louisiana’s parishes. Unfortunately, life itself has many storms, and while the weather cause most storms, others are just part of life. None more devastating than when a person we care for develops an incurable illness. Still, these storms happen to each of us. Inevitably, we will all need to suffer through the death of loved ones because each of our lives will ultimately come to its end.
When a loved one is reaching the end of their earthly life, most of us are not prepared and frequently at a loss as to where to turn for the guidance we require to help us traverse this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In most instances, hospice is the answer we really need to help us through the difficulties of caring for our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Many Picayune locals most likely believe that hospice is a place which terminally ill people go to pass away. However, hospice is not a destination, and it isn’t 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 loved ones. It also allows individuals that have a life-limiting condition to live the best life possible with the time they have been given.
Hospice also allows people nearing the end of their lives to continue to live in Picayune and remain in their homes with their families around them. As a matter of fact, around 90% of people that choose hospice as a treatment method continue to stay in their homes until they pass on. It does not matter if they reside in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Picayune because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, irrespective of where they call home. Hospice Associates’ specialized staff will travel to your Picayune home and provide the compassionate care you or your loved one needs, and we will do it when you or your loved one requires it, anytime, 24-7. Hospice Associates is only a phone call away.
How is it that a single word can produce so much fear?
How can a single word often cause people to cringe?
One word that many people never want to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it’s not nearly as scary as you might make it out to be. In fact, hospice is not something people should fear… it is something we should welcome.
Hospice was initially a shelter intended for those with a terminal illness– a place where the dying would go to live out the last days of their lives. These days hospice is no longer viewed as a place. Instead, it is now viewed as more of a medical service that provides comfort and care to patients in their homes. Whether that home is inside a nursing home, assisted living facility, relatives’ home, or their own personal home. Hospice can be offered to patients no matter the location they refer to as home.
One of the biggest misconceptions about hospice I’ve come across is that a lot people commonly believe hospice is reserved exclusively for people that may only have a short while left to live. The truth is hospice becomes available when a doctor tells their patient that their condition is incurable and a cure is no longer possible.
My personal experience as a hospice nurse have given me the opportunity to partake in the blessing of what hospice care can provide to a family. One of the things I often hear from families is that they 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 the family 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 believe this is because the sooner hospice is offered to a family, 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 realize the relief it provides, they have the chance to begin enjoying the time they have left with their loved one.
First, we walk families through every aspect 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 tend to any worries they may have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families shed the fear of the unfamiliar and are provided the tools they are in need of 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 limited to just physical distress. I have realized that spiritual pain can be just as challenging to lessen as bodily pain . Our chaplain and social workers strive together with our hospice nurses to attend to all of the pains which can exist.
Hospice also helps to clear away the limits you might believe your condition has put on you. Our mission is for you to be truly comfortable and live each moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
Virtualy all hospice care is provided in-home, irrespective of the place the patient calls home. Hospice Care may be offered at your private home, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Anyone, whether a relative, patient, close friend, medical professional or medical professional, may make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are totally confidential. If you know of an individual that is in need of our services, contact us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether or not we would be a good fit for the individual you are concerned about.
The ideal occasion to learn more about hospice care is well before you or somebody you care for actually needs hospice care. However, it’s never too late to learn more about hospice or to talk about hospice with your loved ones. By talking about hospice in advance, you ensure that every family member affected has a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, people of any age with a terminal illness can receive hospice treatment.
Yes. Your family doctor becomes part of our team. We will communicate and consult with your doctor to best understand your individual requirements.
To qualify for hospice care, individuals do not have to be sedentary. Our mission is to help our patients live life to the fullest. We encourage patients in our care to do whatever they feel up to and continue to do the things that bring them happiness.What makes hospice special is that it puts emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care allows people that have developed a life-limiting illness to determine the way they would like to spend the rest of their lives. Hospice attends to the whole 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 is usually completely paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everyone that needs it can afford. Private insurance can on occasion help subsidize the cost of things Medicaid and Medicare might not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative care to any qualified* person that resides within a 50 mile radius of New Orleans, which includes Picayune.
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