Not life-ending hospice care, but HELPFUL to the CG. It's been a year and a half of taking care of my 98 yr old grandmother with mid-stage dementia by myself and I am FINALLY getting a BREAK!!! I am SOOOOOO excited I can hardly stand it. But when you have to pay for yourself and then for her stay at $100 a day on top of your accommodations, it's really hard to come up with that money...but recently her home health ran out to where Medicare would not pay for anything anyone to come out and bathe her, etc., so they suggested we try and get her on hospice - not end-of-life hospice, but continuity-of-care hospice, and it's been GREAT!! We have a dedicated nurse who comes in 2 times a week, and an aide who comes in 3 times a week and I don't have to pay for anything. They pay for her incontinence stuff, and her meds, and BEST OF ALL, they PAY FOR RESPITE TIME!!! And if something happens and I would take her to the hospital, I call them first and they come out and assess b4 I go to the hospital and get stuck in that ridiculous quagmire for hours, and if I do have to go, they go with me! So I don't know what it was that qualified her for their services - much like home health, they have to assess her and she has to be recertified every so often - but as long as they will certify her, I'm going to let them do their thing because it's a TON of weight off my back, and they help with so much financially, they really are a GOD SEND.
So, I'm just here trying to let folks know that just if your loved one is in a place that is hard to take care of on your own, try considering hospice. The stigma is there, that you have to be dying within 6 months, but that is no longer the case...some patients actually get better on hospice and go back to home health!! So, consider it to be a WIN for yourself as a CG, to your bank account, and just to have someone else there to handle the load with you...
Kannie, if you are asking about the aids from Hospice typically the CNA will come in 2 or 3 times a week depending on the circumstances. They will be there about 1 hour, more or less if the need is there. They will bathe, dress the person. They will usually check to see what supplies are needed. They usually will not stay there while you run out to get your hair done or go to the movie. (I did run out once because I needed milk and eggs. But I was back within 20 minutes)
All Hospice that are Medicare approved have Volunteers that can come in and sit with your loved one. Typically the time span is about 3 or 4 hours. They can not feed, give medications or change someone.
The best way to find out if your loved one qualifies is to call a few Hospice agencies and talk to them. Interview then just like you would any doctor, babysitter, employee. There are 2 types of Hospice Not for profit and For profit. The hospice I used was Not for profit.
Also, how long to the aides stay that come three times a week?
If you’re unsure if your loved one is hospice ready talk to your doctor or contact the hospice companies in your area and have her assessed. If she’s not ready for hospice she may be able to get onto pallitive care and they will also come out to your house they just do not provide as many resources. Hospice goal is to help the loved one be cared for without having to go to the hospital for every illness or accident and by keeping loved ones in their home and out of skilled nursing facility.
Need a break dear God, I pray a lot but it doesn't seem to appear.
Have a great time!
Now my dad is in a SNF because he is a vet AND on hospice, for free. I had read the SNFs that take VA contracts are dumps, but this one is beautiful Had he not been on hospice, he would only qualify for VA contract SNF if he was 70% service related disabled which luckily he is not. I have made some mistakes on this caregiving journey, but choosing to do hospice was the best thing I have done. Katie used the word Godsend and its funny she said that as I use that word all the time concerning it.
Enjoy the extra services and supplies! My day will come soon, hopefully.
It is far less expensive for Medicare as well. There are not all the hospital and doctor expenses. There are no treatment expenses. There are re-certification times where the person is assessed again to determine if they are Hospice eligible but as long as there is a continued, documented decline they will meet qualifications.
Congratulations on the well deserved vacation.
And congratulations on finding "one of the best (or worse) kept secret" of caring for someone that will not get better despite all the interventions, all the hopes and prayers. All the love and heartache is now shared by a group of people that will help you through this.
Best of luck
I’ve been so depressed lately because I haven’t had home health care for over a year because Mom refuses to do the rehab part of it. I have a dr appt for her on Monday and I need desperately to talk to dr about this. I can’t think you enough for giving me hope!!!
Please enjoy every minute of your vacation, even the little things will add up. Don't worry about minor things in the hotel etc, you will forget them and only remember the good from your trip. You will feel so much better and recharged when you return.
I always thought odd hospice care as the last thing you do before someone passes away but as you said,this is not the case.
He is very low on funds and we cannot afford to private pay for anymore extra help so financially this is a win win 😊
He is 93 with dimentia,CHF,bad circulation in his feet which have open sores that are being treated. He was just in the hospital for pneumonia and rehab for a few weeks as he recovered. He lives in assisted living with minimal extra help.
But now with hospice care,he will have a home health aide 5 times a week to help with dressing,showering,shaving etc ..and a nurse who will continue the work that a visiting nurse was doing with his feet. She’ll also monitor his vital signs daily.
There’s a chaplain and a military volunteer that will come and just talk and visit him.
I was skeptical at first but the lady’s met with was so compassionate and really understood end of life.
I understand that he has to be re-certified every three months but that’s ok.
I can live with that. And if he improves ,then he’ll come off hospice care.
And if he declines ,then they are there to manage him and keep him comfortable.
He worked hard all his life and paid his dues into the system and I am happy that Medicare is there to cover the cost.
Finally, there is someone whom I can call if I need to.
So glad you're getting a break. Enjoy every minute of it.
Thank you for sharing this information. I'm happy to hear you are going to enjoy a well deserved vacation and get some respite. It is so hard being a full time caregiver that often we forget about ourselves. Take care and enjoy yourself.