Until we have a personal experience with hospice care, many of us are unfamiliar with the programs and services that can be provided when a loved one has a life-limiting illness. There are also many common misconceptions about hospice. Let’s explore some of these misconceptions about hospice and the facts about Star of Texas Hospice services.

Hospice is about death and giving up hope.

• At Star of Texas Hospice, we believe that hospice is about living — a better quality of life at the end of life. Our programs and services are offered to patients and their families which address the physical, medical, emotional and spiritual challenges associated with life-limiting illness. Star of Texas Hospice professionals provide expert pain and symptom management to promote and maximize the quality of life at the end of life.

Admission to hospice should only happen when the patient is within days of dying.

• Patients and their families often tell Star of Texas Hospice staff that they wished they had enrolled in hospice care earlier. Medicare defines a hospice patient as someone with a prognosis of six months or less. Star of Texas Hospice patients and their families benefit from the support of an expert inter-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, nursing aides, social workers, volunteers and chaplains. Timely access to the right care plan is important – to maximize the quality of life before the situation becomes critical.

Hospice patients have to give up their family physician and their right to make health care decisions to enroll in hospice services.

• Star of Texas Hospice professionals coordinate the patient’s care and medications with the patient’s physician and other healthcare providers. Star of Texas Hospice works with patients and families to create a plan of care that will manage the distressing pain and symptoms of a patient’s illness and will coordinate that care with the patient’s existing healthcare team.

All hospice patients go to a care center.

• Star of Texas Hospice patients are cared for in their home or wherever they call home: at their residence, in a skilled nursing facility or in a hospital. Star of Texas Hospice provides routine home care, continuous care, inpatient care and respite care. If there is a need for short-term inpatient care, Star of Texas Hospice does offer general inpatient care hospice in alternative settings. In these welcoming and home-like settings, family members are welcome 24-hours a day and encouraged to stay. The care centers also offer overnight, short-term respite care to provide a break to primary caregivers. Respite care is a welcome change of routine that is so essential in maintaining caregiver quality of life.

Choosing hospice services and a hospice care provider are both very important decisions. Spending time researching and understanding the differences between hospice organizations is important so that when this critical time does arrive, we are able to make informed decisions.

Did you know that…
• If you have Medicare or Medicaid, your hospice benefit is covered 100 percent.
• Star of Texas Hospice treats people with all types of life-limiting illness.
• There is no age limit for obtaining hospice care.
Ask for Star of Texas Hospice today and let us know how we can help you and your family.