Many People Prefer to Recover with Hospice Care

Key Takeaways

Hospice Care	Recovery
Hospice care is a type of care that focuses on comfort and quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families.	Recovery is improving or restoring health, function, or well-being after an illness, injury, or treatment.
Hospice care provides physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support for the patient and their family and helps them cope with symptoms, pain, and medication management.	Factors such as disease progression, treatment response, and individual differences can influence recovery.
Hospice care does not mean giving up or losing hope but rather accepting the reality of the illness and making the most of the time left.	Different outcomes, such as survival, symptom relief, functional status, or quality of life, can measure recovery.
Hospice care can have many benefits for recovery, such as enhancing comfort, dignity, and well-being, maintaining a strong immune system, reducing the risk of infection, and increasing wound healing and tissue repair.	Recovery can be enhanced by hospice care, as hospice care can provide appropriate care and services, monitor and evaluate the patient’s condition and prognosis, and adjust the care plan and services according to the patient’s needs and preferences.
Hospice care can also have some challenges for recovery, such as overcoming common misconceptions and barriers, preparing for the end of life and dealing with grief and loss, and communicating effectively with the patient and their family about the deprescribing process.	Recovery can be challenging for hospice care, as hospice care may face ethical, legal, and practical issues, such as eligibility criteria, reimbursement policies, and continuity of care.

What is RecoveryValley View Los Angeles Hospice Care

Valley View Los Angeles Hospice care is a type of care that focuses on comfort and quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Hospice care differs from curative care, which aims to cure or prolong the patient’s life, by providing palliative care, which aims to relieve the suffering and improve the patient’s well-being.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), more than 1.5 million patients received hospice care in the United States in 2019, and more than 40% of all deaths in the country were under the care of a hospice program. Hospice care is not only for the dying but also for those who want to live as fully and comfortably as possible in the face of a severe illness.

Recovery is improving or restoring health, function, or well-being after an illness, injury, or treatment. Recovery can have different meanings and goals for different people, depending on their values, beliefs, expectations, and preferences. Recovery can also have different outcomes and indicators, such as survival, symptom relief, functional status, or quality of life.

Many people may think that hospice care and recovery are incompatible or contradictory, as hospice care is often associated with the end of life, and recovery is often associated with the beginning of life. However, this is not necessarily the case, as hospice care and recovery can coexist and complement each other in many ways.

This article’s primary purpose and thesis are to explore why many people prefer to recover with hospice care and to discuss the benefits, challenges, factors, and future of hospice care for recovery.

Benefits of Hospice Care for Recovery

Valley View Los Angeles Hospice care can have many benefits for recovery, as it can provide comfort, support, and dignity for the patient and their family and help them cope with the patient’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.

One of the main benefits of hospice care for recovery is that it can enhance the comfort and well-being of the patient by addressing their symptoms, pain, and medication management. Hospice care can provide expert advice and guidance on the appropriate use of medications, deprescribing of potentially inappropriate medications, and drug interactions in palliative and hospice care. Hospice care can also provide various therapies and interventions, such as massage, acupuncture, music, aromatherapy, and pet therapy, to relieve the patient’s discomfort and distress.

Another benefit of hospice care for recovery is that it can enhance the dignity and autonomy of the patient by involving them in the care decisions and respecting their wishes. Valley View Hospice Los Angeles care can provide advanced care planning, which discusses and documents the patient’s goals, values, and preferences for future care, especially in a medical crisis or incapacity. Hospice care can also provide palliative sedation, which is the use of medications to induce a state of reduced consciousness or unconsciousness in the patient to relieve their refractory symptoms or suffering when other measures have failed or are not acceptable to the patient.

A third benefit of hospice care for recovery is that it can enhance the immune system and reduce the risk of infection by providing adequate nutrition and hydration and preventing or treating malnutrition and dehydration. Valley View Los Angeles Hospice care can provide meal preparation and diet planning, which can help the patient cope with changes in appetite, taste, digestion, and medication side effects that may affect their food intake and tolerance, and provide adequate nutrition to maintain their strength, energy, and immune system. Hospice care can also provide fluid therapy, which can help the patient cope with common symptoms such as nausea, constipation, dry mouth, and loss of appetite, and prevent or treat dehydration, which can lead to complications such as kidney failure, seizures, and coma.

A fourth benefit of hospice care for recovery is that it can enhance wound healing and tissue repair by providing wound care and pressure ulcer prevention and treatment. Valley View Hospice care can provide wound care, which can help the patient cope with wounds that may result from surgery, injury, infection, or disease and prevent or treat complications such as infection, bleeding, pain, and scarring. Hospice care can also provide pressure ulcer prevention and treatment, which can help the patient cope with pressure ulcers that may result from prolonged immobility, friction, or shear and prevent or treat complications such as infection, pain, and sepsis.

The following table summarizes some of the benefits of hospice care for recovery:

Benefit	Description
Comfort and well-being	Hospice care can address the patient’s symptoms, pain, and medication management and provide various therapies and interventions to relieve their discomfort and distress.
Dignity and autonomy	Hospice care can involve the patient in the care decisions, respect their wishes, and provide advanced care planning and palliative sedation.
Immune system and infection	Hospice care can provide adequate nutrition and hydration and prevent or treat malnutrition and dehydration.
Wound healing and tissue repair	Hospice care can provide wound care and pressure ulcer prevention and treatment.

Challenges of Hospice Care for Recovery

Hospice care can also have some challenges for recovery, as it can face common misconceptions and barriers and have to deal with ethical, legal, and practical issues.

One of the main challenges of hospice care for recovery is that it can face some common misconceptions and barriers that prevent some people from choosing hospice care, such as:

• Hospice care is only for the dying, and choosing hospice care means giving up or losing hope.
• Hospice care is only for cancer patients, and other diseases or conditions are not eligible for hospice care.
• Hospice care is expensive and not covered by insurance or other funding sources.
• Hospice care is unavailable or accessible in some areas or settings or not culturally appropriate or acceptable for some groups or communities.
• Hospice care is incompatible or consistent with the patient’s or the family’s values, beliefs, or preferences.

These misconceptions and barriers can be overcome by providing accurate and timely information and education, addressing the patients’ and the families’ concerns and fears, and offering various options and alternatives for hospice care.

Another challenge of hospice care for recovery is that it can have to deal with some ethical, legal, and practical issues, such as:

• Eligibility criteria and reimbursement policies for hospice care may vary by state, insurer, or provider and may limit the access and availability of hospice care for some patients.
• Continuity of care and coordination of services for hospice patients, which may be disrupted or compromised by changes in the patient’s condition, prognosis, or location or by transitions between different levels or settings of care.
• Communication and documentation of the patient’s goals, values, and preferences for end-of-life care may be complex or challenging due to the patient’s cognitive impairment, language barrier, cultural difference, or lack of advance directives or surrogate decision-makers.
• Quality and safety of hospice care may be affected by the patient’s complex and changing needs, the provider’s limited resources and training, or the lack of standardized guidelines and protocols.

These issues can be addressed by improving the policies and regulations, enhancing collaboration and integration, facilitating communication and documentation, and ensuring the quality and safety of hospice care.

The following list shows some of the challenges of hospice care for recovery:

• Common misconceptions and barriers that prevent some people from choosing hospice care
• Eligibility criteria and reimbursement policies for hospice care
• Continuity of care

Factors that Influence Hospice Care Recovery

Various factors, such as disease progression, treatment response, and individual differences, can influence hospice care recovery. These factors can affect the likelihood, duration, and extent of recovery or improvement for hospice patients.

One main factor influencing hospice care recovery is disease progression, which is the course and outcome of the patient’s illness. Disease progression can vary by the type, stage, and severity of the illness and the presence or absence of other conditions or complications. Disease progression can affect the patient’s prognosis, which is the expected or predicted outcome of the illness, and the patient’s life expectancy, which is the estimated or average time the patient is expected to live.

Some illnesses may have a predictable or stable disease progression, such as some types of cancer, which may follow a certain pattern or timeline of growth, spread, and response to treatment. Other illnesses may have an unpredictable or variable disease progression, such as some types of dementia, which may have different rates and patterns of cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and functional impairment. Disease progression can affect the patient’s recovery or improvement, as some illnesses may have a higher or lower chance of recovery or improvement or a faster or slower rate of recovery or improvement than others.

Another factor influencing hospice care recovery is treatment response, which is the effect or outcome of the patient’s treatment. Treatment response can vary by the treatment type, mode, and intensity and by the patient’s adherence, tolerance, and resistance to the treatment. Treatment response can affect the patient’s recovery or improvement, as some treatments may positively or negatively impact the patient’s symptoms, pain, function, or quality of life.

Some treatments may have a curative or palliative intent, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, which may aim to cure or control the illness or to relieve the symptoms or complications of the illness. Other treatments, such as nutrition, hydration, or fluid therapy, may have a supportive or complementary intent to support or enhance the patient’s health, well-being, or comfort. Treatment response can affect the patient’s recovery or improvement, as some treatments may have a higher or lower effectiveness or efficacy or a higher or lower risk or harm than others.

A third factor that influences hospice care recovery is individual differences, which are the patient’s personal or unique characteristics or attributes. Individual differences can vary by the patient’s age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, education, occupation, lifestyle, personality, values, beliefs, preferences, expectations, and goals. Individual differences can affect the patient’s recovery or improvement, as some patients may have different meanings and goals of recovery or improvement or different coping styles and strategies than others.

Some patients may have a holistic or comprehensive view of recovery or improvement, including physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. Other patients may have a specific or focused view of recovery or improvement, including one or a few aspects of well-being, such as survival, symptom relief, or functional status. Individual differences can affect the patient’s recovery or improvement, as some patients may have a higher or lower motivation or readiness or a higher or lower satisfaction or acceptance of recovery or improvement than others.

The following table summarizes some of the factors that influence hospice care recovery:

Factor	Description
Disease progression	The course and outcome of the patient’s illness can affect the patient’s prognosis and life expectancy.
Treatment response	The effect or outcome of the patient’s treatment can affect the patient’s symptoms, pain, function, or quality of life.
Individual differences	The patient’s personal or unique characteristics or attributes can affect the patient’s meaning and goal of recovery or improvement or coping style and strategy.

Future of Hospice Care for Recovery

Hospice care recovery can have a bright and promising future, as current trends and innovations in hospice care, such as telehealth, palliative care, and deprescribing, may enhance the recovery or improvement of hospice patients. These trends and innovations can improve the quality and accessibility of hospice care and provide more options and alternatives for hospice care.

One of the current trends and innovations in hospice care for recovery is telehealth, which uses information and communication technologies to deliver healthcare services remotely. Telehealth can include telemedicine, which uses video, audio, or text to provide diagnosis, consultation, or treatment to the patient, and telemonitoring, which uses devices or sensors to monitor the patient’s vital signs, symptoms, or behaviors. Telehealth can also include teleeducation and online platforms or applications to provide information, education, or training to the patient, their family, or the hospice care staff.

Telehealth can have many benefits for hospice care recovery, such as:

• Increasing the access and availability of hospice care, especially for patients who live in rural or remote areas or have mobility or transportation issues.
• Reducing the cost and burden of hospice care, especially for patients with limited resources or insurance coverage or complex or frequent needs.
• Enhancing the communication and coordination of hospice care, especially for patients with multiple or interdisciplinary providers or who have transitions or changes in their care plan or services.
• Improving the quality and safety of hospice care, especially for patients with high-risk or emergent conditions or who need close or continuous monitoring or supervision.

Another current trend and innovation in hospice care for recovery is palliative care, which focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with severe or chronic illnesses and their families by relieving the symptoms, pain, and stress of the illness. Palliative care differs from hospice care, which is only for patients with a life expectancy of six months or less, by providing care at any stage of the illness and is compatible with curative or life-prolonging treatments.

Palliative care can have many benefits for hospice care recovery, such as:

• Providing earlier and more comprehensive care for the patient, especially for patients with progressive or incurable illnesses or unmet or complex needs.
• Providing more options and alternatives for the patient, especially for patients who are not eligible or ready for hospice care or who want to continue or pursue curative or life-prolonging treatments.
• Providing more support and guidance for the patient and their family, especially for patients with complex or uncertain decisions or emotional or spiritual distress.
• Providing more evidence and research for hospice care, especially for patients with rare or understudied illnesses or limited or conflicting data.

A third current trend and innovation in hospice care for recovery is deprescribing, which is identifying and discontinuing medications that are no longer beneficial or may cause harm to the patient and communicating effectively with the patient and their family about the deprescribing process. Deprescribing differs from prescribing, which is initiating and continuing medications that are beneficial or necessary for the patient by providing a rational and systematic approach to reduce or stop the patient’s medication burden and involving the patient and their family in the medication decisions.

Deprescribing can have many benefits for hospice care recovery, such as:

• Improving the comfort and well-being of the patient, especially for patients who have multiple or inappropriate medications or who have adverse drug reactions or interactions.
• Improving the dignity and autonomy of the patient, especially for patients with preferences or goals that are not aligned with their medications or who have concerns or fears about their medications.
• Improving the immune system and infection of the patient, especially for patients who have medications that may suppress or impair their immune system or increase their risk of infection.
• Improving the wound healing and tissue repair of the patient, especially for patients with medications that may delay or interfere with their wound healing or tissue repair.

The following list shows some of the current trends and innovations in hospice care for recovery:

• Telehealth uses information and communication technologies to deliver healthcare services remotely.
• Palliative care is a type of care that focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with severe or chronic illnesses and their families.
• Deprescribing is the process of identifying and discontinuing medications that are no longer beneficial or may cause harm to the patient.