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If a person is on Medicare, and qualifies for hospice ( has a terminal illness and expected to die within 6 months), Medicare will pick up the hospice related expenses, ie, care by hospice personnel, medications, treatments/ procedures intended for palliation, pain relief. Medicare does not pick up the living costs, for example, would not pay for a nursing home, or assisted living facility if a person on hospice went there.
From what I've read, health insurance policies may pick up the costs of hospice care, similarly to Medicare. Each policy will vary, so it's up to the policyholder to discuss and find out the specifics for his/ her own coverage.
Hospice was WONDERFUL for my loved ones. Travelassie is right. Many insurance carriers also cover hospice services.
Hospice was wonderful to us, too. The hospice my mother was in had aftercare programs for us, her daughters. Six months after she died, I got a phone call to remind me to take advantage of some of these programs.
I have heard that hospitals are restricting pain medication. I don't know if that is true.
In any case, if she's in pain, they are not treating her pain adequately.
Can you arrange for her to go on Hospice? Hospice will treat her pain.
The hospital "should" be doing comfort care.
I agree. When my mother was in pain she was given as much medication has she wanted. It didn't matter. She was on her death bed so the doctor said whatever she needs to be comfortable that's fine.
There's no reason whatsoever someone who is clearly dying shouldn't be a comfortable as possible.
Time is very short and family members need to say their good-byes. This was extremely important to me.
I'm still sad my mother passed away two years ago but I said my good-byes.
I never heard that. But then I'm not tuned in to hospital SOP either. Maybe a search would find something.
I know the hospital my wife was at did not scrimp on the pain meds. "First, do no harm" which IMO means do not allow someone to lie in agony for hours or days. That's lawsuit country, that's malpractice country.
I remember my mother telling me of a good friend of hers who lay screaming in agony for a week plus, dying. That was in the '70s probably. Hard to believe.
If the doc won't help with pain, I'd go up the hospital chain of command. The state medical association. The licensing bureau for MDs.
If that didn't work, I'd go find a mean, aggressive, effective attorney and sort this out. Yesterday.
Who do you think comes up with all the regulations governing doctors' abilities to prescribe pain meds? You got it...the hospital, the state, the licensing board, and the DEA.
Who do you think comes up with all the regulations governing doctors' abilities to prescribe pain meds? You got it...the hospital, the state, the licensing board, and the DEA.
That doesn't prove anything. When you have a problem, you go up the chain of command. Or jump the chain and go to the top.
As you'll see from posts above, very few are denied pain relief. That's lawsuit country, malpractice country.
Something's funny in this particular case. Not up to standard of care, that's clear.
I hope OP has asked the doc about hospice. It's the doc who turns the wheels here.
Call it Palliative Care if you have to - that's what my brother had to call it (and that's what they called themselves) in order to get the pain meds and care he needed at the end of his life. His wife was totally opposed to morphine for instance, because he might "get addicted." She never accepted his impending death, unfortunately. She would not tell him "It's OK to go." Instead, she kept telling him "Fight it, I need you here." I mean, that's fine for a bit but after awhile it's time to let that person go. My brother had pancreatic cancer. He was clearly dying from it. It was Stage 4 and had spread all over his body and he was in pain that only the drugs hospice could give him would address. So he ended up calling it Palliative Care and that worked for his wife.
She is gone now, but my dad got the brunt of it. things are a lot easier for me now, subjective of course. it's been 2 weeks. but...how do I help Dad? He tells me to worry about myself and he'll get through it, but is that the right thing to do? I just want to help....
She is gone now, but my dad got the brunt of it. things are a lot easier for me now, subjective of course. it's been 2 weeks. but...how do I help Dad? He tells me to worry about myself and he'll get through it, but is that the right thing to do? I just want to help....
I would personally check in with him every single day. Take it from there.
I am so sorry about your mom.
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Solly says — Be nice!
