Many Beaumont seniors have friends and loved ones who have chosen Hospice to assist them in giving them the best quality of life when facing a terminal illness or accident.

Despite the growth of Southeast Texas Hospice Care over the past two decades, many Southeast Texas seniors are still uncertain of what exactly Hospice encompasses.

This is a brief Southeast Texas Hospice Care inroduction that should be helpful for assisting Golden Triangle senior citizens in understanding what Hospice is and what it does for those who choose Hospice.

Hospice care is a philosophy of care that accepts dying as a natural part of life. When death is inevitable, hospice seeks neither to hasten nor postpone it but to provide the resources to insure, as best they can, that the final life experience is supported by knowledgeable professionals.

Hospice services provide care and comfort to patients diagnosed with a terminal illness that has been certified by a physician.

Hospice and palliative (relieving pain) care is provided through a team-oriented approach to medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support.

SETX Hospice Introduction

The care-plan is developed and tailored to the patient’s needs while supporting the family’s wishes. Hospice focuses on caring, not curing and in most cases; care is provided in the patient’s home. The services provided by Hospice are:

• Provided in the patient’s home, free standing hospice centers, hospitals, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities. The majority of hospice care is provided to patients in their own home, or wherever home may be.
• Available to patients of any age, religion, race, or illness.
• Covered under Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations.
• For any person who has a life-threatening or terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less if the illness runs its course.
• For patients with both cancer and non-cancer illnesses.
• Available for the patient and their family facing an end-of-life illness. Hospice assist by providing palliative (pain relief) care services for our patients, and education and counseling for the family.
• Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through hospice staff that are on call.
• Typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and some private insurance companies when the expense is related to the terminal diagnosis. This includes medications, supplies, durable medical equipment, and nursing services.

Naomi Naierman, CEO of American Hospice Foundation nicely summed up Hospice’s overall mission , “The gift of hospice is its capacity to help families see how much can be shared at the end of life…”

If you or a Southeast Texas senior citizen you know have additional questions about Hospice, a representative from Harbor Hospice is prepared to answer your questions or to get your more information.