“The only way I can get a hospice referral is if my doctor makes it.”
“My doctor will outright tell me when I need hospice care.”
FALSE! St. Anthony’s encourages all patients to be their own health advocate. This means if you have a physician suggesting more chemotherapy, more dialysis, more of whatever aggressive curative treatment you have been doing and you don’t want to continue, speak up!
Your physician is there to explain the care options but it is ultimately the patient’s decision as to what care they want. The patient doesn’t have to wait for their physician to bring up hospice care, the patient can bring it up to their physician! The physician must, however, certify that the patient has a terminal illness that if it ran it’s normal course without any symptom management or curative options, the life expectancy is 6 months or less.
And you always have the option to request palliative care when receiving curative treatments! Palliative care is designed to provide symptom management and act as an extra set of eyes and ears in the home without taking the place of a patient’s physician. Check out our pages on the difference in hospice and palliative care and more information on palliative care.
If you think St. Anthony’s Hospice Care would benefit you or a loved one, please call us anytime (270) 826-2326 or make an online referral.
