Hospice Care – What is It?

In cancer and other serious diseases, there is a real possibility that all available treatment options for a disease will be tried, and neither the presence nor the severity of the disease will be affected. When the disease becomes impossible to treat and the only option left is death, a person may consider receiving palliative care. Hospice care differs from ordinary hospital care in that it aims to reduce a patient’s pain and suffering and maximize the person’s enjoyment of each day that remains.

In its early days, hospice companies in houston tx was a concept that had its roots in the ideal of offering a place of refuge and rest, or “hospitality,” to travelers on a long journey. In 1967, London’s St. Christopher Hospital expanded the idea to a special type of care for dying patients. Since its original use in London, “hospice” care has expanded globally. The practice provides humane and compassionate care to people in the last stages of incurable disease. Humane and compassionate care is designed to allow these people to live as fully and comfortably as possible.

Unlike chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, hospice is a philosophy of care and not a form of treatment or procedure. Philosophy accepts death as the final stage of life. Its goal is to provide patients approaching death an alert and pain-free life. Rather than treating symptoms, palliative care is designed to control symptoms and reduce their negative effects. The whole philosophy is intertwined with the idea that people should be allowed to die with dignity.

While many doctors and treatment plans focus on extending life, palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life. Strongly believe in quality over quantity. The philosophy provides family-centered care and allows the patient and family to make decisions. Care is provided to both the patient and the family 24 hours a day. Unlike many treatments, palliative care can be done in the patient’s own home. It is also often available in hospitals, nursing homes, and even private hospices. In the United States, most palliative care is provided at home, with family members being the primary practical caregivers.

Not everyone who has been diagnosed with cancer or some other disease is eligible for palliative care. hospice care in houston is appropriate when a person no longer benefits from treatment and is expected to live six months or less.