Palliative Care

You might look up info re: hospice on the net.

I am a member of the palliative care team for our company, which does community nursing only. What would you like to know?

I'm in Canada, BTW, so if you need info exclusively about the U.S., I won't be able to help.

We have hospice here in US. Is that what you mean? Comfort care? I am interrested in this topic too. Have not worked in hospice myself but have worked with hospice in my facility.

I have been a hospice volunteer over 10 years and am also a nurse. I would love to talk about care in hospice too. What would you like to know?

renerian

I think that the difference in terminology here is what is giving us difficulty. In the US, hospice care IS palliative care provided not only in a facility but brought to the patient's residence, whether that be a private family home, an assisted living facility, a nursing home, etc. These services are reimbursed by our federal government (under Medicare for our elderly) and our state governments (under Medicaid for those with little money or assets) or by private insurance for those who are believed to have a life expectancy of six months or less.

http://www.hospicefoundation.org/what_is/

Many home health care agencies offer Palliative Care programs to patients in the home. Those served typically are patients who are not eligible for the medicare hospice benefit because they are not terminally ill and/or they are receiving curative treatments. Under Medicare Regs, palliation of symptoms is not a "skilled need" (how sad!), so currently many who could benfit from skilled home based palliatve care are not served.

Good points made...................good clarification.........

renerian

Maybee I am wrong, but I am looking at NURSING as a kind of PALLIATIVE kind of doing, no matter what area you are working in?

Any comment?