Losing Hospice Services When Someone No Longer Meets the Criteria
Dear Carol: My wife was receiving support at home from hospice due to late-stage dementia and physical decline, but now it’s determined that she’s too stable to qualify. While I’m thrilled that she’s not currently declining by their standards, I’m at a loss to figure out how to move forward. We’re losing equipment, in-home nursing support, and emotional support that has been invaluable. I’m already exhausted from trying to do this with little family support and limited finances for hiring caregivers. Is there no help for us? – TG
Dear TG: I’m truly sorry. Sadly, this isn’t unusual, but few people are prepared for the possibility. Like you, families have gone through the adjustment required to admit that someone they love is likely to die within a six-month window, only to have the support evaporate due to a temporary lag in the patient’s decline.
This is not the fault of the organization you are using. Hospice is under tight control since it’s covered by insurance, mostly Medicare. No matter how far into dementia and/or physical decline a person is, if they have stabilized in a way that it looks like they’re likely to live more than six months longer, they can lose services. That means, as you said, losing all the support that was time-consuming and often stressful to set up. So, what’s next? Ask someone in the hospice organization what resources they recommend for obtaining palliative support. Palliative care is not as tightly controlled, so services may vary. However, you don’t…
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