HOSPICE CARE FOR LUNG DISEASE PATIENTS

End-of-Life Care for Patients Suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Lung Disease Patients

Aria Hospice recognizes the courage it takes to help a loved one who is suffering from a life-limiting illness. We also understand the physical and emotional stress it places on you to care for this loved one.  We provide comprehensive hospice care and support services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through our compassionate, experienced and well-trained interdisciplinary team of hospice nurses, home health aides, hospice social workers, therapists, bereavement counselors and volunteers.

We always put patients and families first and strive to make every interaction with you and your loved one more meaningful.

hospice care for lung disease san diego

According to Medicare the patient with severe chronic lung disease will exhibit the following symptoms:

  • Disabling dyspnea at rest
  • Little if no response to bronchodilators
  • Decreased functional capacity (bed to chair existence, fatigue and cough)
  • Progression of disease as evidenced by a recent history of increasing physicians’ office, home or Emergency Department visits and or hospitalizations for pulmonary infection and/or respiratory failure
  • Documentation within the past 3 months:
  • Hypoxemia at rest on room air (p02 < 55 mmHg by ABG) or oxygen saturation < 88%
  • Hypercapnia evidenced by pC02 > 50 mmHg

Supporting Documentation Includes:

  • Unintentional progressive weight loss
  • COR pulmonale and right heart failure

When is The Right Time to Ask About Hospice

Watching a loved one with lung disease decline, it can be difficult to determine when it might be time for hospice. In general, hospice patients are thought to have six months or less to live. Only a doctor can make a clinical determination of life expectancy. However, when a patient with lung disease becomes increasingly concerned about their ability to breathe and their declining condition, both the patient and family are likely to benefit from hospice services.

In general, hospice for lung disease may be beneficial when the patient:

  • Has made repeated trips every few months to the emergency room for respiratory failure or lung infections
  • Has been repeatedly hospitalized every few months and no longer wishes to be hospitalized
  • No longer wishes to be intubated

The patient’s pulmonologist or personal physician may recommend hospice when the time is right. But patients and family members often must act as their own advocates to receive the care they need. You, your loved one or your physician may request an evaluation to see if hospice is an appropriate option for care.

Benefits of Aria Hospice Care for Lung Disease Patients – The Aria Hospice team will evaluate the patient’s medical status and revise their care plan as the patient’s condition and symptoms change. The goal of hospice care for lung disease patients is to treat pain and other symptoms and relieve the physical and emotional stress to ensure the greatest level of comfort for our patients and their families.

Pain Management – Our Hospice Care team provides palliative care which focuses on relieving pain and maintaining comfort.

Comfort. Aria Hospice gives patients and families the support and resources to see them through this challenging chapter of life and help patients remain in comfortable and familiar surroundings.

Reduced re-hospitalization. In the last months of life, some people who are seriously ill make frequent trips to the emergency room; others endure repeated hospitalizations. Hospice care reduces re-hospitalization: a study of terminally ill residents in nursing homes shows that residents enrolled in hospice are much less likely to be hospitalized in the final 30 days of life than those not enrolled in hospice (26% vs. 44%).

Coordinated care at every level – A plan of care is developed with the advice and consent of the patient’s physician, if available or Aria Hospice physician. The Aria Hospice Case Manager ensures that information flows between physicians, the visiting nurse, social worker and, at the patient’s request, clergy. In addition, Aria Hospice coordinates and supplies all medications, medical supplies and medical equipment related to the diagnosis to ensure patients have everything they need.

Emotional and spiritual assistance – Aria Hospice has the resources to help patients maintain their emotional and spiritual well-being.

We Listen. We Care. We Serve.

When you are faced with the challenge of finding a hospice provider to help care for the emotional and physical well being of someone you love, maybe your mom or dad, you will be faced with many questions.

Making the decision about hospice care for a loved one is never easy, but finding the right answers can help you feel more comfortable with the options available and confident in your final decision.

Aria Hospice operates hospice care programs throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California. We pride ourselves on being one of the areas leading providers of end-of-life care.

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WHO CAN RECEIVE HOSPICE CARE?

Anyone diagnosed with a limited life expectancy can receive Aria Hospice care.

Once a physician certifies that an illness is terminal, (a life expectancy of six months or less), they will collaborate with the Aria Hospice team for services, tailored to the needs and wishes of the patient.

Many patients have cancer, but Aria Hospice cares for individuals with many other life-limiting illness, including heart and lung disease, kidney disease, neurological disorders, stroke, Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Family and friends also receive the benefit of hospice care, to help them support the patient and adapt to changes in their lives.

Many people mistakenly believe that all hospice patients are bed-bound, critically ill, and unable to continue living life to the fullest. Hospice celebrates life and supports you in achieving your individual needs in this chapter of your life.

Contact our Admission Coordinator at Aria Hospice in San Diego County or Imperial County with any questions you may have about hospice care or eligibility.

who can receive hospice care

WHY CHOOSE ARIA HOSPICE CARE?

After receiving a diagnosis for limited life expectancy, patients must make an important choice about goals for their treatment.

why choose aria hospice care

When a physician determines that there is no curative treatment for a particular illness, the treatment is not helping any longer or you decide that the side effects of treatment are too great, you may consider choosing comfort care as your ultimate goal.

Aggressive medical treatment focuses on curing the physical illness rather than satisfying the patient’s emotional and spiritual needs. It often requires intensive care in a clinical setting that can diminish quality of life. Hospice care has the focus of comfort, by relieving pain and other symptoms, while continuing to address emotional and spiritual needs of both the patient and family.

Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death, but relieves pain and physical discomfort so that the patient can experience a more peaceful and satisfying quality of life. At Aria Hospice, care is designed to primarily take place in the home or place of residence. Many families tell us that they waited too long to take full advantage of all the benefits offered by hospice care.

SEE WHAT FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ARIA HOSPICE

Our Team is Here to Help!

We are one of Southern California’s premier providers of end-of-life care. Click the button below to Request Information or call (619) 795-6010 to learn how hospice care can help.