Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a dutch oven so maybe I'll just stick to using that. I'm not really very hungry anyhow and the idea of things to eat are difficult to come up with so for now soup works.
Thank you for the hint elston--saves me some money too.
Just in case you don't read other threads and since I've heavily suggested hospice to you, make sure you do read my recent one.
It might not apply at all but is something that has to be clearly understood.
I did read it this morning--does that mean my DH cannot see the doctors he sees now? I'm a little confused.
The hospice doctors become his doctors.
They take over and there is no need to go out to whoever he sees now.
One point I was making was, you can go to see anyone else that you want...such as his current ones... but
Medicare won't pay for them.
But along with that and the main point was that , say your husband also has diabetes ( as mine does), a hospice won't arrange for a blood check for that but if you want it done and go to an outside doc for it, Medicare will not pay for either the blood work or the doctor.
The hospice doctors become his doctors.
They take over and there is no need to go out to whoever he sees now.
One point I was making was, you can go to see anyone else that you want...such as his current ones... but
Medicare won't pay for them.
But along with that and the main point was that , say your husband also has diabetes ( as mine does), a hospice won't arrange for a blood check for that but if you want it done and go to an outside doc for it, Medicare will not pay for either the blood work or the doctor.
I think the reasoning behind that is the underlying premise of Hospice is that the patient is dying and the role of Hospice is to provide palliative care to ease and comfort the patient and family thru the process of dying. Seeking treatment for other conditions to prolong life.....isn't part of the model. When hospice is asked to provide end of life care and service....they have a contract with Medicare that they are the exclusive provider of end of life services.
I think that means if the patient is dying of cancer and has a heart attack.....they wouldn't be rushed to the hospital to treat the heart condition....there would be no surgery.....or assignment of a cardiologist......because it is understood that the patient is dying. Medical care to maintain the patient as comfortably as medically possible would be provided by hospice. Heroic efforts to treat for other conditions to sustain life would not be part of the treatment plan.
My mother was on hospice care at the nursing home at the end phase of her life. She had declined nutrition and water....so it was a matter of days. She was no longer on her diabetic diet or medications....she couldn't be sent to the hospital again for her congestive heart failure condition.....she didn't want any more of those admissions and discharges and re-admissions.....she chose hospice....and they were wonderful and attentive to her every need.
Hospice was chosen when I spoke to her doctor and told him that she didn't want to be rushed to the hospital anymore only to be resuscitated and discharged back to the nursing home over and over. The doctor said, the only way to prevent that is to request hospice care....other wise everytime she goes into cardiac failure the nurses at the home will call an ambulance and when she arrives....the hospital HAS to aggressively treat her to save her life....the doctor was frank and said there was no hope of cure or improving her condition.....she was dying of congestive heart disease....and getting weaker and weaker...but those ambulance rides to the hospital would continue until she finally did die, unless she was on Hospice care. In that case she could be assisted to die with dignity and as comfortably as medically possible.
(This was long before the Affordable Care Act and the talk of death panels....it was just a patient/doctor discussion).
I am not a medical professional; a discussion with his current doctors and the social worker or medical case manager at the ALS clinic would be the best bet...I am sure they are familiar with Hospice referrals and all the implications.
Last edited by elston; 04-27-2014 at 12:43 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
