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The Louisianians that live in and around Sorrento are well known for their civic pride, caring nature, and strong family bonds. Whenever challenging times occur, the residents of Sorrento have a history of pulling together and supporting each other, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina rained chaos upon Southern Louisiana’s parishes. Unfortunately, life is full of storms, and while the weather brings most storms, others are simply a part of living. None more heartbreaking than when a person we care about develops an incurable illness. Still, these storms happen to every family. Eventually, we will all need to deal with the death of the people we love because each of our lives will ultimately come to an end.
When a person we love is reaching the end of their life, most of us are poorly prepared and frequently at a loss as to where to go for the guidance we need to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar aspect of life. In most instances, hospice is the answer we are in need of to help us with the challenges of taking care of our loved ones 24 hours a day.
Most Sorrento locals likely believe that hospice is a facility which sick people go to pass away. But, hospice isn’t a place, 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 families. It also allows people diagnosed with a terminal condition to lead the best quality of life attainable with the time they have remaining.
Hospice also makes it possible for people nearing the end of their lives to continue to live in Sorrento and remain in their homes with their family members nearby them. In fact, close to 90% of the folks that opt for hospice as a form of treatment continue to reside in their residences up until they pass on. It does not matter if they reside in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Sorrento because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of where they call home. Hospice Associates’ specialized staff will travel to your Sorrento home and administer the compassionate care you or your loved one requires, and we will do it when you or your loved one requires it, anytime, 24-7. Hospice Associates is no more than a phone call away.
How is it that just one word could cause so much dread?
Why does a single word cause people to cringe?
One word that a lot of people never want to hear…
That word is HOSPICE, and it’s not as frightening as one may think it is. In reality, hospice isn’t something we should fear… it is something to welcome.
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 thought of as a service that delivers comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their homes. Regardless of whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, relatives’ home, or their own individual home. Hospice can be administered to patients irrespective of where they call home.
One of the leading misconceptions regarding hospice I have encountered is that a lot people often think hospice is exclusively for people that only have a short while left to live. The reality is hospice becomes accessible as soon as a doctor informs their patient that their condition is terminal and a cure is no longer a possibility.
My personal experience as a hospice nurse have offered me the to experience the wonderful aspects of what hospice care can offer to a family. Among the things I commonly hear from families is that they wish they would have known hospice was an option long before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces the burden placed on family members and provides them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice provides, families can begin to enjoy the short time they have left with the ones they love.
I think this is because the sooner hospice is offered to a patient, the sooner they can let go of the stress and fear of being the only ones giving care to their loved one. And once they recognize the freedom it offers, they have the opportunity to begin appreciating the short time they have remaining with their loved one.
First, we help walk families through every phase of the disease process, so they comprehend just how the illness will advance and what they can come to expect. Then, as issues develop, our team is available to answer all of their questions and address any worries they might have. With this knowledge and understanding, families lose the fear of the unknown and are provided the tools they need to help their loved ones throughout the dying process.
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 gives patients as well as families with spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be caused by many different things, however, it isn’t limited to just bodily pain.
Hospice also aids to remove the barriers you may feel your condition has put on you. For some, possessing the awareness and understanding what to expect can be liberating. We never put limitations on what you can or can not do. Our objective is to help you be as comfortable and enjoy every moment you have remaining to the fullest together with your loved ones.
The majority of hospice care is provided in-home, regardless of the place the patient calls home. Hospice Care may be provided at your personal home, nursing homes, assisted living, group homes, or family homes.
Any individual, whether a relative, patient, close friend, medical professional or medical professional, can make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are entirely confidential. If you know of someone that is in need of our services, call us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether we would be a suitable fit for the individual you are concerned about.
The most suitable occasion to learn about hospice care is prior to you or somebody you love actually requires hospice care. It is never too late to learn about hospice care or to discuss hospice with family members. By talking about hospice in advance, you ensure that everyone impacted has a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
No, people of any age with a life-limiting illness are able to undergo hospice treatment.
Yes. Your physician becomes part of our team. We will keep in touch and partner with your physician to better understand your individual requirements.
To qualify for hospice, you do not have to be sedentary. Our goal is to help our patients live their lives to the fullest. We encourage people in our care to do whatever they feel capable of doing and continue to do the activities that bring them happiness.What makes hospice special is that it puts emphasis on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice care makes it possible for people that have developed a terminal illness to decide the way they would like to spend the rest of their life. Hospice attends to the whole person, and their family members are considered as part of the care unit. It emphasizes pain control and living life fully.
Hospice services, even in-home hospice care is usually 100% covered by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everybody that requires can afford. Individual insurance can sometimes help subsidize the expense of items 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, including Sorrento.
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