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The people who reside in and around Sellers are well known for their sense of community, generous nature, as well as strong family bonds. When challenging times come, the families of Sellers have a history of coming together and helping each other, just as they did when Katrina brought chaos upon Louisiana’s communities. Regrettably, life itself is full of storms, and while the forces of nature brings most storms, others are just a part of life. None more traumatizing than when somebody we care for develops an incurable illness. Even so, these storms happen to each of us. Eventually, we all will have to deal with the loss 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 ill prepared and frequently at a loss as to where to turn for the assistance we require to help us traverse this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In most circumstances, hospice is the solution we really need to support us through the difficulties of taking care of our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Most Sellers residents most likely think that hospice is a facility that terminally ill people go to pass away. But, hospice is not a place, and it isn’t about dying. The truth is, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment that improves the quality of life for our patients and their family caregivers. It also lets people that have a terminal illness to experience the best quality of life possible in the time they have left.
Hospice also makes it possible for people nearing the end of their lives to continue to live in Sellers and live in their homes with their loved ones around them. As a matter of fact, nearly ninety percent of people who opt for hospice as a treatment continue to reside in their homes up until their passing. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Sellers because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of where they call home. Hospice Associates’ specialized staff will come to your Sellers home and administer the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will do it whenever you or your loved one requires it, any time, 24 hours a day. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that just one word can produce so much anxiety?
How can one particular word cause some people to cringe?
One word that a lot of people never want to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it is not as frightening as one may think. Hospice should not be something to be feared, hospice is something to be embraced.
Hospice was originally a shelter intended for those with a life-limiting disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the last days of their lives. These days hospice is no longer thought of as a destination. Instead, it is now thought of as a medical service that provides comfort and care to patients in their homes. Whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, relatives’ residence, or their very own home. Hospice can be offered to patients regardless of the location they call home.
One of the most prevalent myths about hospice I have run into is that a lot people commonly presume it is reserved exclusively for patients that only have a short while left to live. The fact is hospice becomes available as soon as a doctor tells their patient that their condition is incurable and a cure is no longer attainable.
My experiences as a hospice nurse have given me the opportunity to witness the wonderful aspects of what hospice care offers to a family. One of the many things I commonly learn from families is that they wish they would have known hospice was available long before they did. I think 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 left with the ones they love.
I believe this is because the sooner 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 providing care to their loved one. And when they understand the freedom hospice can provide, they have the ability to start appreciating the short time they have remaining with their loved one.
First, we take family members through every aspect of the disease process, so they see how the illness will advance and what they can come to expect. Then, as things arise, we are available to answer all of their questions and address any problems they may have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families shed the fear of the unfamiliar and are provided the tools they need 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 offers hospice patients and their families with spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be brought on by many different things, but it is not confined to merely physical pain.
Hospice care can also help to remove the limitations you may feel your disease has placed on you. Our goal 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, regardless of the place the patient considers home. Hospice can be offered at your private residence, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family homes.
Any individual, whether a member of the family, patient, close friend, personal doctor or healthcare professional, may make a referral to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are fully confidential. If you know of an individual that is in need of our services, contact us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we might be a good fit for the person you are concerned for.
The most suitable occasion to learn about hospice care is well before you or somebody you care for really requires hospice care. However it’s never too late to learn more about hospice care or to talk about hospice with family members. By discussing hospice care in advance, you ensure that everyone affected has a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
No, people of any age with a terminal diagnosis can undergo hospice treatment.
Yes. Your doctor is part of our team. We will keep in touch and consult with your physician to best understand your individual needs.
To receive hospice, individuals don’t have to be inactive. Our objective is to help our patients live their lives to the fullest. We encourage patients in our care to do whatever they feel capable of doing and continue to keep on doing the activities that bring them joy.What helps make hospice so 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 choose precisely how they wish to spend the rest of their life. Hospice care attends to the entire person, and their family is considered as part of the unit of care. It places emphasis on pain control and living life fully.
Hospice care, even in-home hospice care is usually 100% paid for by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everyone that requires can afford. Individual insurance can on occasion help fund the expense of things Medicare and Medicaid may not cover.
Hospice Associates provides hospice and palliative services to all qualified* person that resides within a 50-mile radius of New Orleans, that includes Sellers.
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