the Price of Hospice Care

The service I used was a Hospice service, that was in a free-standing hospice clinical setting. The hospice accepted my terminally ill family member, and provided for them the basics of palliative care, making the last days of their life bearable and comfortable. They provided food for as long as was needed, then after that provided liquid diet and finally just fluids. They provided 24-hr round the clock care, including changing of gowns, bedding, bathing, incontinence supplies, and anything else that was needed during the time of residence there. This service was provided for 122 days, which was how long my family member stayed there. Medical insurance paid for part of this cost, but the deductible was paid by myself.

My family member received wonderful, compassionate care from the hospice during their final days of life. Hospice is a difficult place to be, due to the very sad and downhearted nature of the patients there. This is the place someone goes to spend their final days here on earth, and having an empathetic, loving staff surrounding your family member is paramount to any cost. Nothing can replace a caring staff member to hold your hand and the hand of your loved one during the final moments of life, and I will forever be grateful to them for their service to my family during a very difficult time.

Choose your Hospice caretakers very carefully, as they will be the ones who provide your family member their final care, and they will also determine whether your last memories are good ones, or you remember your loved one's final days as being neglected or ill-taken care of. There are many good quality, caring hospices available, but conversely there are also sub-standard hospices that are ill-fitted to take care of all the nuances of palliative care of the terminally ill. Just make sure the hospice you choose is one that fully prepares staff members and competently trains all employees to adequately work with not only patients, but also the family members.