HR Info
Helping Your Employees with Hospice Decisions

Eventually, some of your employees will be caring for older loved ones who are terminally ill. In these cases, hospice care may become a consideration. Should they come to you for advice or guidance, remind them that LifeCare has information on its web site that can help them determine their options and the best course of action. But it will help your conversation to know some basics.

You should know, for example, that hospice care isn't for everyone. Instead of focusing on recovery, hospice patients focus on dying comfortably, surrounded by loved ones. Hospice programs allow patients to live the remainder of their lives at home or in a home-like setting while they receive pain management therapy rather than aggressive, disease-curing treatment. Terminal cancer is not the only diagnosis which should prompt consideration of hospice care; some end-stage chronic heart, lung, neurologic, and other illnesses may qualify for hospice care.

Here are some questions to help you and your employees determine whether hospice is right for their loved one:

	Is 24-hour care necessary now or in the near future? If so, can you arrange for such care?
	Have you or your loved one discussed hospice with a doctor and does she/he consider it appropriate?
	Has your loved one received a physician's prognosis of six months or less to live?
	Is your loved one certain that she/he wants to forego further surgery or treatment?
	Have you discussed all realistic care options with your loved one and other family members?
	If your loved one wants to remain at home, how will day-to-day care be managed?
	Is there a family member who can assume primary responsibility for your loved one if care is given at home? Are other friends and relatives willing and able to help?
	If you do not have a relative or close friend who can be the primary caregiver, would your loved one consider a hospice program within a hospice facility or nursing home?
	Will your or your loved one's insurance cover any of the costs of hospice care?

These questions should serve as a starting point only. If your employees consider hospice care for their loved ones, encourage them to research it carefully, beginning with a call to LifeCare. Also, they can begin their research by visiting the web sites of the Hospice Association of America (http://www.nahc.org/HAA) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (http://www.nhpco.org).