If you recently decided to enter hospice, or if you are a caretaker for a patient who is now entering hospice, you have a number of challenging emotional tasks ahead of you. One of those is to inform family and friends about the start of hospice care.

This is a difficult announcement because in many cases, it may also be the first time that family and friends are informed of the terminal diagnosis, as well as the timeline. What is the most compassionate way to share this news? Here are a few tips that can help these conversations go as smoothly and gently as possible.

1. Choose a personal way of conveying the news. Whenever possible, it is best to deliver this kind of life-altering news face-to-face. If you can do that in person, that is ideal. If not, online video chat may be your next best option. A phone call is also okay. You can rely on email or texting if you must, but we recommend it only if none of the other communication methods are available.
2. Pick a calm and grounding setting. Try not to give this news in a crowded, chaotic, noisy, unsettled environment. If you can, do it somewhere quiet and peaceful, where the loved one is better able to process the news.
3. Explain clearly what is happening. You might feel tempted to try and edge around the news. But you should come straight to the point. Say that the patient is entering hospice, when, why, and what to expect. Be honest about the terminal diagnosis. Do not try to hide it or couch it as a “maybe.”
4. Be ready to dispel myths about hospice. A lot of people have heard damaging myths about hospice. They might think that it means a patient cannot receive curative treatments for any of their conditions, that they cannot receive pain-alleviating treatments, or that hospice is where people go to die. None of these are accurate. Research shows that patients can live longer in hospice.
5. Offer to answer questions. The loved one is almost certainly going to have questions both about the patient’s condition and hospice care. Be prepared to answer them, or to go find answers to give to them later.
6. Be ready for your emotions and theirs. The person receiving this news is likely to have a strong emotional reaction. Each person you tell may show (or not show) that reaction in different ways. Try not to let this catch you off guard. Give the other person space to process their emotions however they need to do it. There is no “right” or “wrong” way. Your emotions may also be intense when you break the news or see how they react—so be ready for that too.
7. Invite their help. People who love the patient are usually going to want to help in some way, even if it is small. It can alleviate their feelings of helplessness if you give them opportunities to do that. Try to think of some ways they can assist, even if they seem minor.
8. Let them know you will keep them in the loop. Once you break painful news like this, you cannot leave the other person hanging. They are going to want updates on their loved one’s condition, treatments, and emotional state. Reassure them before the conversation ends that you will give them regular updates.

We Can Support You and Your Family During Hospice

The way in which you convey the news of hospice does have an effect on those who receive it. You cannot lighten the pain that goes with knowing a loved one has a terminal diagnosis, but you can still help mitigate some avoidable negative emotions. Loved ones will still be hurt by the news, but at least they may not be hurt by how it was told to them.

The patient and their loved ones deserve extra emotional care and support during this time. The compassionate staff at Golden Rule Hospice can help provide that support. To learn how we can help, please give us a call at (470) 395-6567. We care for patients throughout the Atlanta area.

As hospice care workers, we have noticed that it is common for patients or their loved ones to hesitate before choosing hospice. Sometimes, that hesitation extends well into the time where hospice could have offered a substantial boost to quality of life.

While there are many possible reasons why this hesitation might occur, in many cases, it comes down to not understanding fully the purpose or benefits of hospice. Let’s go over some of the most common reasons why people wait before entering hospice even after becoming eligible.

1. They are not ready to stop treatments aimed at curing their condition. A patient becomes eligible for hospice after receiving a terminal diagnosis with an estimated six months to live. But to enter hospice, the patient must stop receiving treatments that are aimed at curing the terminal condition. The focus of hospice is on providing palliative care, increasing comfort and autonomy or maintaining them as much as possible. Sometimes a patient may put off entering hospice for the simple reason that they are not ready to give up on their curative treatments. That is a personal decision, and there is nothing wrong with it.
2. Some believe hospice is only for the dying. Another common reason for hesitation with hospice is a belief that many hold that hospice is “for the dying.” In truth, hospice is for the living. The goal of hospice is to make as much quality living possible during the last months of life. Indeed, hospice care often ends up extending lifespan due to the reduction in physical and emotional stress that comes with finally getting some rest. It is not uncommon for hospice patients to live longer than their terminal diagnosis, or even to be discharged.
3. General ignorance about what hospice can do for them. One more hurdle to overcome for a lot of patients and their families is simply not grasping the benefits of hospice. A lot of people just do not know what goes on in hospice care. As a result, they have a hard time picturing the reasons to enter hospice.

Here are some of the ways that hospice can help patients and their loved ones:

• Hospice can help patients manage their symptoms, alleviating pain and increasing function and autonomy.

• During hospice, patients as well as their loved ones can receive emotional support in the form of counseling, support groups and more.

• Patients receive most hospice care in their homes, giving them the means to spend more time in the place they are most comfortable, surrounded by the people they love.

• Hospice care includes a holistic range of services that are fully personalized to the needs of the individual patient.

Learn More About What Hospice Care Can Do for You or Your Loved One

We understand that even if you are thinking about starting hospice care for yourself or a loved one, you may have a lot of questions and uncertainties.

Our caring team is here to answer your questions, taking as much time as we need to in order to help you understand how hospice can help.

To learn more about our hospice services in Georgia, please give us a call at (470) 395-6567. We provide hospice care to patients throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area.

One common question patients and their loved ones have about hospice care is whether it is available 24/7. The short answer to that question is “Yes.” Hospice care is available 24/7. The longer answer is that hospice includes multiple levels of care. The type of 24/7 care that is available at a given time depends on which of those levels of care is currently active. This, in turn, is based on the patient’s needs at that moment in time.

Level of Hospice Care

Here are the four levels of hospice care:

• Routine home care: The majority of the time, hospice care takes the form of routine home care. During routine home care, the patient is stable. Nurses or other medical personnel are not present at the patient’s home 24/7, because they do not need to be. Instead, they visit on a scheduled day. During routine home care, however, you can still reach the team 24/7. If there is a crisis, they can immediately dispatch medical personnel to the patient’s home to provide emergency care.

• General inpatient care: If a crisis necessitates inpatient care, the patient is transferred to a medical facility. This type of care can be around-the-clock, as the patient may need continuous care in order to stabilize.

• Continuous home care: Similar to inpatient care, this is a type of continuous care that the patient receives during a crisis. The difference is that it is received in the patient’s home, rather than at an inpatient facility.

• Respite care: The purpose of respite care is to provide a break to the patient’s primary caregivers (i.e. family or friends). During respite care, the patient receives care at an inpatient facility.

So, to summarize, during routine home care, care is available 24/7. And during a crisis, continuous, around-the-clock care is provided until the patient is stable via continuous home care or general inpatient care.

Get the Dedicated Care You or Your Loved One Needs

Now you know more about the levels of care you can receive through hospice, and how we make sure that patients’ needs are addressed 24/7.

With our locations in Alpharetta and Atlanta, we are able to quickly reach patients in their homes throughout the metropolitan region, ensuring rapid care. To ask questions or learn more about how we can help you or your loved one, please give us a call at (470) 395-6567.