End Stage Diseases Common in Hospice
The fact is hospice is for anyone living with a life limiting illness that has a life expectancy of approximately six months or less.
Did you know you can leave hospice at any time for any reason? Consider hospice care early – we think you will be amazed at how much hospice improves the quality of life for those we serve.
General Guidelines that indicate it is time to consider hospice:
- A recent decline in functional status/physical decline
- Multiple falls
- Increased calls/visits to physician
- Emergency Department visits
- Hospitalizations
- Sleeping more
- Increase in pain or other symptoms
- Change in mental status (less alert, more confused, etc.)
- Dependence upon others for Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Needs more help with:
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Using the rest room
- Eating
- Recent decline in nutritional status with unintentional weight loss
- Multiple chronic diseases or conditions
Common Hospice Diagnoses & Some of Their Hospice Indicators
Cancer
- Curative treatment unlikely to improve quality or length of life
- Metastasis to multiple sites
Heart Failure
- Chest pain and/or shortness of breath with and without activity
- Taking multiple cardiac medications
- Patient and/or physician believe heart surgery is not a preferred option
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Shortness of breath at rest and with any activity
- Recurring respiratory infections
- Using multiple inhalers with poor response
Dementia
- Speaks few intelligible words
- Needs help to sit up
- Unable to walk without assistance
Stroke/CVA
- Difficulty swallowing, unable to take in adequate nutrition
- No feeding tube (current or planned)
Liver Failure
- Ascites despite use of diuretics
- Serum albumin 1.5
Renal Failure
- Considering stopping dialysis
- Serum creatinine >8.0 (>6.0 for diabetics)
HIV
- CD4+ count 100,000
- Secondary conditions(Kaposi’s sarcoma, pneumocystis pneumonia, fungal infections, etc.)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Barely intelligible speech
- Significant shortness of breath
- Difficulty swallowing accompanied by rapid weight loss
- No feeding tube or ventilator (current or planned)
Hospice should be a timely choice… Not a last resort.