hospice question? experience?

Question

i know the "organiztion" hospice is for patients whom have a life expectancy of 6 months or less to live.

my dad has colon cancer in which has spread all over his body through his bones. he recently went on hospice care.

have any of you had someone youve known been on this program? how long did they last before they passed? any information would help

i feel so terrible. i asked this question. then about 1 hour later, my stepmom called......... and my dad passed away. i jinxed it. omg :(

Answer 1

I used to work in hospice and my father and husband were followed by hospice. They both did not live long at all. Less than a week. I wish that we had gotten tied in much earlier. We needed the support both in symptom control and emotionally in dealing with what happened.

Some people's symptoms continue to decline way passed the six months and they are maintained on hospice. There are other people who improve and are discharged from hospice. However, when their symptoms get worse, they can come back on hospice.

I think hospice is a wonderful program for people who are at the end of their life. It offers support you would not have gotten without their involvement. They provide such a variety of support that you need to tell them what is going on in your family and they will look at what they can do to help. They don't do it all, but it makes a big difference. The social worker in addition to being a bereavement counselor knows about the resources in the community and can be especially helpful. They also have a chaplain.

If you have questions about what they are doing, all the head nurse or the administrator. They should be able to answer your questions.

Answer 2

There is really no way to know how long your dad will live while on hospice. It varies greatly. Is you father on hospice in his home or in a hospice unit?
We brought my mother to my house with hospice nurse and she died 4 days later. She had kidney cancer that spread to her brain. She just didn't want to die in a hospital. The hospice nurses were great. They set up the pain medicine and showed us how to use it so we could make sure she was not in pain. If we had any questions or problems we could call day or night. If we wanted them to come check her, they would come. When she died, they took care of everything. All we had to do was choose a funeral home and casket. They made most of the other arrangements.
I'm really sorry about your father's illness. I know how hard this is on the family.

Answer 3

Ohhhh, I'm so sorry to hear that your Dad passed away. I have a brother who has been on Hospice for 2 1/2 months. He probably doesn't have more than a week or two left.

Answer 4

my grandmother actually just passed away on 11/17 and was in hospice. she was in hospice for about 3 weeks. they help people die with dignity, keep them comfortable, provide around the clock support for the patient and family. it is truely a wonderful thing in light of a terrible situation. my grandmother was able to pass away with all 7 of her children by her side and no pain, and she was not stuck in a hospital. be strong.

Answer 5

First of im sorry to hear about your dad. My grandad got cancer when i was in year 9 and after a while he went into a hospice, i think he was there for a month untill he went. it was a nice pretty place, his bed was right next to a window which had a little stream and bridge out of it and it was really peacefull. it also had a lilttle section for my little brothers to play in aswell.