BOISE, Idaho — Hospice care can carry stigma and misperception, but the bottom line is it all revolves around making a patient comfortable, instead of treating an illness.
- Hospice care is important to thousands in varies levels of need
- 48 different agencies providing hospice care in Idaho
- To be eligible two doctors have to diagnose the patient as terminal with six months or less to live
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
I'm senior reporter Roland Beres and we’re breaking down that stigma in an effort to be healthier together this Wellness Wednesday.
TheIdaho Department of Health and Welfare lists 48 different agencies providing hospice care throughout the state.
Hospice care can include bereavement and grief counseling for an individual and their loved ones, diet counseling, physical therapy, and equipment like a hospital bed.
It usually comes in places like a hospice center or nursing home, but can also happen in a hospital or the patient's home.
Dr. Karl Steinberg is a medical director for hospice care and says the median length is just under three weeks.
“Patients who are on hospice for over a year are uncommon,” said Dr. Steinberg, “but I wouldn't say rare. Probably less than 10%. And we see that more with people suffering from end-stage dementia.”
To be eligible two doctors have to diagnose the patient as terminal with six months or less to live. But one of the bigger problem Dr Steinberg says is that a lot of people don't get referred for hospice until it's too late.
“They're practically on death's door, which in my opinion, deprives them of so much of what hospice has to offer to patients and their families.”
Yes, hospice can sometimes stretch your budget, however both Medicare and Medicaid — as well as private insurers and the military — can help cover the expense, and some even provide some co-payment for things like prescriptions or a trip to the hospital
