Life Matters | summer 2004



 

Early Intervention: The Key to a Beneficial Hospice Experience

 
 
Hospice is a set of services that we all may need someday—if not for ourselves, for someone we love. For every person who receives hospice, there is another person who would greatly benefit from this special care, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Nationally, more than a third of patients spend less than seven days enrolled in hospice, and more than a million Americans die each year without receiving hospice services.

This lack of awareness of hospice means that too many Americans still die alone or in pain. “Many patients are being referred to hospice care too late or not at all. And too many families are left without bereavement support,” says Dean Nickens, Director of ComfortCare Hospice, a division of South Central Regional Medical Center.

Hospice is not limited to cancer patients. “Forty percent of our patients have a noncancerous diagnosis. We care for patients with HIV, pulmonary disease, dementia, liver disease, heart disease, renal disease, and stroke,” says Nickens.

Consistently, noncancer patients enter the hospice program later than cancer patients and are unable to receive the full benefits.

Earlier access to hospice care will bring superior end-of-life care to patients and their families while also improving the cost effectiveness of hospice care.

Despite its many advantages, hospice is still a mystery to most Americans even 30 years after its introduction to this country.

“Hospice remains a mystery in part due to our society’s resistance to discuss matters related to death,” says Nickens. “Our organization is committed to educating the public about the benefits of our services and dispelling myths that exist.”

Increasing public awareness is vital to ensuring quality of life to patients and family members faced with life-limiting illnesses,” says Nickens.

ComfortCare Hospice was the first hospice in our area and has been providing care to terminally ill patients and their families for 12 years. ComfortCare Hospice provides services to Jones, Jasper, Covington, Forrest, Greene, Lamar, Perry, Simpson, Smith, and Wayne counties.

For more information concerning ComfortCare Hospice, call 422-0054 or 1-800-300-3443.



The editorial content of this online publication is taken from the print version of Life Matters published by South Central Regional Medical Center.

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