While it may be dreadful to think about a parent dying, one of the kindest, most considerate things you can do is help your parent live out his or her final days as comfortably as possible. With hospice care, a variety of health professionals and volunteers provide end-of-life medical, psychological, and spiritual support to people who are terminally ill. VNSNY can help you and your parents handle difficult end-of-life decisions with sensitivity and compassion.

Doctors generally refer people for hospice care when their life expectancy is six months or less. Hospice care is offered for patients with all types of diseases and conditions, including AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), and stroke, though there are many others. Rather than trying to treat the underlying disease, the goal of hospice care is to help those for whom there is no cure to control their pain and other symptoms; this allows them to maintain their comfort and dignity through their last weeks or months of life. Meanwhile, counselors help family members come to terms with their imminent loss. Hospice care doesn’t have to be continuous; a patient can move out of hospice, if his or her medical condition improves (if cancer goes into remission, for example) then resume hospice care at a later date, should the condition return. Generally, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance cover hospice care for those who meet eligibility criteria.

Because it is a special concept of care, not a place, hospice care can be provided in your parent’s or a family member’s home or at a hospice center, hospital, or a skilled nursing or assisted living facility. The focus is to provide personalized care and companionship that meets your parent’s needs and wishes and offers the maximum comfort possible, given her condition. By combining compassion and sensitivity with highly skilled care, hospice care will allow your loved one to pass away with comfort, grace, and dignity.

To find out more about the Visiting Nurse Service of New York’s Hospice Care program, click here.