Hospice Care Barriers

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What are the requirements for and barriers to hospice service? It can be hard on any family when they learn that a loved one is ill, but it can be especially difficult to learn that their loved one is terminally ill. (A terminal person is defined as person who is expected to live six months or less.) Upon finding out that, a loved one is terminally ill, a decision would need to be made on the treatment of the end-of- life care they would need. The most common treatment available is hospice. Hospice is a program that provides the patient with medical services and both the patient and their family with emotional support and spiritual resources. You may receive hospice care in a hospice center, hospital, nursing home long-term care facilities…show more content…
In order to be able obtain hospice care the patient must be eligible for Medicare (Part A) hospital insurance and obtain a certification from a physician that states the patient has a life expectancy of six months or less. The patient then needs to execute a statement that confirms they understand the severity of their illness, then choose to receive hospice care and, at the same time, terminate their right of Medicare-covered benefits that pertain to their illness. However, there are some barriers that a patient may come across while trying to obtain hospice care such as: * A patient's physician may not agree with the admission criteria and therefore not sign a certification confirming that they have less than six months to live. * The family may not be ready and willing to accept the need for hospice care. * A patient maybe referred to a hospice too late in their illness decreasing the capability of obtaining palliative…show more content…
(2009). Hospice and Palliative Care. In Death, Society and Human Experience (pp.158-164). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Explain how hospice/palliative care is able to serve any two (2) of the following groups of people with health problems: children, people with AIDS, and people outside mainstream society. I cannot not imagine what it is like to have a child that is sick, let alone a child that is terminally ill. Unfortunately, every year over a million infants and children suffer from a life-threatening illness. Families are then faced with the decision of what kind of medical treatment they want to obtain for their child. More commonly, families choose hospice care, which can be obtained in a hospital setting or at home. It might be more crucial for the child to receive hospice care at home, so the child may avoid from suffering from separation anxiety. Upon searching for the best hospice program for their child, a parent will be concerned with the services that can be provided during this difficult time. Such services that hospice can provide for children are: * Emotional support * Respite care (temporarily relief for the parents from the hospice
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