StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Concepts and Practice of Hospice and Palliative Care - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author of this paper "Concepts and Practice of Hospice and Palliative Care" analyzes the evolution, advantages and disadvantages, and the funding of hospice care. He mentions that Cecily Saunders established the hospice movement in the 1960s in Great Britain…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.9% of users find it useful
Concepts and Practice of Hospice and Palliative Care
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Concepts and Practice of Hospice and Palliative Care"

Hospice Care Introduction The concept of hospice evolved in the 11th century referring to the place where those who are terminally ill are given care. It is often known as end-of-life care for patients who are suffering from incurable diseases. The concept of hospice came in the United States in 1970s with the work of Cicely Saunders and since then it has rapidly expanded. This paper will assess the evolution, advantages and disadvantages and the funding of hospice care. Cecily Saunders established the hospice movement in the 1960s in Great Britain. The basic concept of this facility was to provide care to address the social, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of those who are dying. The concept spread widely in the United States and it was something outside the conventional healthcare system. The hospices at that time were funded through charities and there was volunteer staff that provided personalized care to the patients. Hospice was not known for being a place for care but rather a concept of care. As it established, the hospice leaders came together to formulate standards and guidelines for developing hospice care (Cartwright, Miller, & Volpin, 2009). In 1978, the National Hospice Organization (NHO) was developed and it provided a national forum for education, discussion, and support of hospice quality care standards. Medicare coverage was expanded by the Congress in 1983 to include hospice care. Hospice benefits were also offered by many private insurers as they recognized the compassion for hospice care and its cost effectiveness. The number of hospices and numbers of patients in hospices have increased gradually and in 1991, there were about 1,830 hospices serving about 212,000 patients throughout U.S. Today the hospice concept remains unchanged since its early days. The intention of a hospice is to create a setting where patients get relief from their pain and are able to find support to improve the quality of their remaining life. Hospices make the effort to create a setting in which people can die peacefully. Today the hospices are a part of the mainstream healthcare system of U.S (Groninger, 2012). Choosing a hospice care may have advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage of a hospice care is the availability of a care team which consists of professionals and volunteers. This comprehensive and interdisciplinary team is involved in understanding and taking care of the patient’s needs. The team includes nurses, physicians, social workers, and trained volunteers who fulfill the needs of the patients. Another advantage is that the care is available continuously; 24 hours a day even on holidays and weekends. Caregivers are also given support and relief in hospices thus they and the patients can have continuous access to the hospice care team. Living in a hospice is usually considered to be a cost effective decision as it cuts down the expenses of buying durable medical equipment, medications, and other medical supplies. Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurances are now covering the costs of hospice care needs. If a patient and his caregivers need comfort care then hospice care avoids many procedures and treatments involved in hospitalizing. The hospice care team supports and relieves the patients and helps them to achieve their goals (Huskamp, Stevenson, Chernew, & Newhouse, 2010). There may however also be disadvantages in choosing to live in hospices. Hospices may often have restrictions on the treatments. Hospices may have difficulties in medical expenses such as diagnostic tests and x-rays must be the financial responsibility of the hospice but they are often not approved by hospices as these tests may be expensive and not beneficial. Another disadvantage is that hospitalization is discouraged until the patient is in the hospice. The hospice only has provisions for hospital stays which are short-term. Hospices do not cover experimental treatment as they are considered to be life-prolonging. These disadvantages often give patients the need to give away the hospice option. Sometimes patients are not referred to go to a hospice until they get very close to their death hence they miss out many opportunities that hospices offer. There are also misconceptions about hospices which led people to not consider them. Lack of awareness is also a reason why people often miss out on the benefits and services of a hospice (Forman, 2003). Hospices receive their funding from governmental programs, private insurance, public donations, and grants by charitable foundations. They are reimbursed by Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurances for the care given to the terminally ill. Donations to hospices are a major way of funding as families of patients who die make memorial donations to those specific hospices. These funds are significant and help in running the hospice and cover expenses. Other ways are public charities, donations by corporations, or through fund raising events. If a patient has Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance, there is never the need to pay for hospice care from personal wealth. Even if a patient doesn’t have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance coverage, nonprofit hospices provide services free of cost in regard to their charitable mission. There are many nonprofit hospices which are dedicated to serve the patients who are in need of significant care when their lives are ending. For other hospices, there is Medicaid or Medicare coverage, private insurance coverage, or if none of them then the patient has to pay from his own pocket. Hospice care at home, however, costs much lesser then hospitals, nursing homes, and institutional settings (Conner, 1998). However, hospice care has become a common healthcare provision for people who suffer from incurable diseases especially in the United States. The trend has increased and it has led many patients and their families to receive extra care and support throughout the difficult time. Hospices understand the importance of a person’s life and give them the opportunity to spend their remaining life free of pain and suffering. Hospice care has become reachable for many people in U.S. because of the charitable missions and insurance coverage. There are misconceptions but the trend is becoming increasingly popular and thousands of Americans are taking hospice care until their lives end. Hospices are the best for patients suffering from cancer. Hospices are an important part of the healthcare system today. References Cartwright, J., Miller, L., & Volpin, M. (2009). Hospice in Assisted Living: Promoting Good Quality Care at End of Life. The Gerontologist Conner, S. (1998). Hospice: Practice, Pitfalls, and Promise. Taylor & Francis Forman, W. (2003). Hospice and Palliative Care: Concepts and Practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning Groninger, H. (2012). A gravely ill patient faces grim results of outliving her eligibility for hospice benefits. Health Affairs Huskamp, H., Stevenson, D., Chernew, M., Newhouse J. (2010). A New Medicare End-Of-Life Benefit For Nursing Home Residents. Health Affairs Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Hospice Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1”, n.d.)
Retrieved de https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1639568-hospice-care
(Hospice Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words - 1)
https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1639568-hospice-care.
“Hospice Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words - 1”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1639568-hospice-care.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Concepts and Practice of Hospice and Palliative Care

What benefits does a childrens hospice service provide

here exists a hairline demarcation between hospice services and palliative care services.... Two main views were extracted from the review: 1) insufficient approach in hospitals towards the care of dying children and 2) palliative care provider's strength and weakness accredited to by the support and reluctance of the parents of dying children respectively.... arents' perception about the children's hospice services play crucial role in determining the qualities of such palliative care providers, since the number of families obtaining the services of hospice homes are increasing....
20 Pages (5000 words) Essay

Palliative Care Nursing in Hong Kong

It was not until 1985 that demarcation between cure and palliative care was made with the help of the Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care.... The essay "palliative care Nursing in Hong Kong" focuses on the critical analysis of the major issues in palliative care nursing in Hong Kong.... The Coordinating Committee (Hospice) of Hospital Authority (HA) Hong Kong SAR Government defines hospice or palliative care as 'the care of the patients and their families with active progressive advanced disease and a limited prognosis for whom the focus of care is the quality of life' (Liu, 2005, p....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Movement of Hospice Care

"The Movement of hospice Care" paper argues that hospice care has become an essential component of the standard of end-of-life care and an important part of accepted medical practice, although it is still a separate and distinct system in various ways.... In a reflective analysis of the history of the hospice care, it becomes lucid that the concept of hospice as a place to treat the incurably ill has a long history of evolvement that dates back to the 11th century....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy In Palliative Care

The writer of the paper "Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy In palliative care" discusses how palliative care can provide some learning outcomes and have immense benefit to client groups with life-limiting conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and HIV.... palliative care as defined for the purpose of this paper includes services rendered within the hospice environment where the patient is absorbed in the day-to-day affairs of the hospice....
16 Pages (4000 words) Research Paper

Hospice and Palliative Care Analysis

Hospice care is similar to palliative care provided in the hospitals for terminally ill patients.... Some patients may need to be in the hospital and, at the same time, need the help of hospice care.... The staff of hospice care is specially trained to assess, anticipate, treat, and prevent specific physical symptoms, which cause distress and discomfort.... Pain management is the most important aspect of hospice care.... This paper ''Hospice care'' tells that Provision of compassionate and specialized care for sick people during the last stages of incurable disease like cancer is known as hospice care....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Business Analysis of St Anns Hospice

The services provided by the hospice are not charged; the cost of these services is covered by the state – at a percentage of 35% - and by the public; the number of people supported by the hospice has been estimated to 3000 – on an annual basis; under certain terms, care is provided in the people's homes – additionally to the services provided in the hospice's sites (corporate website, the home page).... The care provided by the hospice is developed within a specific time framework – i....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study

Palliation of Patients with Incurable Cancer

oreover, it has also opened a variety of options for the patient in terms of choices for curative and palliative treatment.... Palliation, as opposed to the curative paradigm approach, is a care-based system exploring different alternatives and therapies for the main purpose of alleviating or improving the quality of health of a particular patient during his/her last stage of his/her life (Brenner 1999).... Palliation takes on a more humanistic approach with a general consideration of cultural practices, and psychological and social aspects of the patient's life through assisted care from the specialist, general practitioner, hospice, relatives, and friends....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Significance of Nursing Care in Palliation, Benefits, and Challenges of Different Australian Palliative Care Settings

The paper 'Significance of Nursing Care in Palliation, Benefits, and Challenges of Different Australian palliative care Settings' is a thoughtful variant of an essay on nursing.... The paper 'Significance of Nursing Care in Palliation, Benefits, and Challenges of Different Australian palliative care Settings' is a thoughtful variant of an essay on nursing.... The paper 'Significance of Nursing Care in Palliation, Benefits, and Challenges of Different Australian palliative care Settings' is a thoughtful variant of an essay on nursing....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us