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The Louisianians who live in and near Waggaman are well known for their sense of community, generous nature, and strong family values. Whenever difficult times occur, the families of Waggaman have a reputation for pulling together and supporting one another, just as they did when Hurricane Katrina brought destruction upon Louisiana’s parishes. Sadly, life has many storms, and while the weather cause most storms, others are just a part of living. None more overwhelming than when someone we care about develops a terminal illness. Still, these storms happen to every one of us. Inevitably, we all will need to deal with the loss of the people we love because all of our lives will ultimately come to its end.
When a loved one is reaching the end of their lives, most of us are ill prepared and often at a loss as to where to go for the guidance we require to help us through this challenging and often unfamiliar part of life. In most instances, hospice care is the answer we seek to support us through the challenges of looking after our loved ones full-time.
Many Waggaman residents most likely think that hospice is a place which terminally ill people go to pass away. However, hospice is not a place, and it is not about dying. In reality, hospice is a compassionate, holistic medical treatment which improves the quality of life for the people in our care and their families. It also lets people who have a life-limiting condition to live the best quality of life attainable with the time they have left.
Hospice also allows people approaching the end of their lives to continue to live in Waggaman and remain in their homes with their loved ones near to them. In fact, almost ninety percent of the folks who elect hospice as a treatment continue to reside in their homes up until they pass on. It does not matter if they live in a house, a retirement community, or an apartment in Waggaman because hospice is almost always conducted in a patient’s home, regardless of the place they call home. Hospice Associates’ caring staff will travel to your Waggaman home and deliver the compassionate care you or your loved one needs, and we will do it when you or your loved one needs it, any time, 24 hours a day. Hospice Associates is always just a phone call away.
How is it that a single word could cause so much anxiety?
How can a single word often cause some people to cringe?
One word that a lot of people never want to hear…
The word is HOSPICE, and it is not nearly as frightening as you may think it is. Hospice shouldn’t be something to fear, it is something to be welcomed.
Hospice was initially a home intended for those with an incurable disease– a place where the dying would go to live out the remainder of their lives. These days hospice is no longer thought of as a place. Instead, it is now viewed as more of a service that offers comfort and care to terminally ill patients in their own homes. Whether that home is in a nursing home, assisted living facility, relatives’ house, or their own home. Hospice can be provided to patients irrespective of the location they refer to as home.
Among the primary misconceptions concerning hospice I have encountered is that a lot people quite often presume hospice is only for people that only have a few days left to live. The fact is hospice becomes available when a physician tells their patient that their condition is terminal and a cure is no longer a possibility.
My personal experiences as a hospice nurse have given me the opportunity to witness the blessing of what hospice care can offer to a family. Among the things I frequently learn from family members is that many wish they would have known hospice was available long before they did. I believe this is because hospice reduces much of the burden placed on families and gives them peace of mind. Once they understand the relief hospice offers, families can start to enjoy the time they have left with the ones they love.
I think this is because the more quickly hospice is offered to a family, the sooner they can let go of the stress and fear of being the only ones offering care to their family member. And when they understand the relief hospice can provide, they have the ability to start appreciating the time they have remaining with their loved one.
We help walk families through each and every facet of the disease process, so they can understand how illness will advance and what they should come to anticipate. Then, as issues arise, we are available to answer each of their questions and address any concerns they might have. Because of this knowledge and understanding, families shed the fear of the unknown and are given the tools they need to help their loved ones throughout the dying process.
This is not only for our patients but also for their family members. Comfort is a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. Hospice provides patients and family members spiritual, psychosocial, and physical comfort. Pain can be caused by several things, but it is not restricted to just bodily distress. I have found that spiritual pain can be equally as challenging to alleviate as physical suffering . Our chaplain and social workers work collectively alongside our nurses to attend to each of the pains which can occur.
Hospice care can also help to remove the restrictions you may believe your illness has placed on you. Our goal is for you to be comfortable and live each moment you have left to the fullest with your loved ones.
Almost all hospice care is provided in-home, irrespective of the place the patient calls their home. Care may be given at your personal home, retirement community, assisted living, group homes, or family residences.
Any person, whether a family member, patient, close friend, doctor or medical professional, may make a recommendation to Hospice Associates. Recommendations are totally confidential. If you know of anyone that is in need of our services, get in touch with us at 504-457-2200 to discuss whether or not we might be a good fit for the person you have concerns about.
The best opportunity to learn more about hospice care is well before you or somebody you care for actually needs hospice care. However itis never too late to find out about hospice care or to consider hospice with your loved ones. By discussing hospice care well in advance, you ensure that everybody impacted has a thorough understanding of what is available to them.
Not at all, individuals of any age with a life-limiting illness are able to receive hospice treatment.
Yes. Your family doctor is part of our team. We will be in touch and partner with your physician to better understand your personal requirements.
To qualify for hospice care, you do not have to be sedentary. Our goal is to help our patients live life to the fullest. We encourage our patients to do whatever they feel up to and continue to do the activities that bring them joy.What helps make hospice special is that it concentrates on patient care and not on a cure. Hospice makes it possible for people which have developed a terminal illness to determine just how they would like to spend the rest of their lives. Hospice treats the entire person, and their family is considered as part of the care unit. It emphasizes pain control and enjoying life fully.
Hospice services, even in-home hospice care is usually completely covered by Medicare and Medicaid, so hospice care is something everybody that requires can afford. Individual insurance can sometimes help subsidize the expense of things Medicaid and Medicare may not cover.
Hospice Associates offers hospice and palliative care to all qualified* person that resides within a fifty mile radius of New Orleans, which includes Waggaman.
Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to patients and their loved ones, including:
Call Us: 504-457-2200
FAX: 504-457-2207
Physician managed hospice
and palliative care