Hospice care (HC) is a form of patient empowerment for multiple myeloma patients and caregivers… hospice is not giving up but rather a method of control
Many people regard hospice care for multiple myeloma (MM) survivors as giving up. As a long-term MM survivor myself I can tell you that hospice is not giving up but rather a method of control. HC is a form of patient empowerment for MM patients and caregivers.
Like all stages of MM care it is important to understand hospice care for cancer survivors and caregivers. PeopleBeatingCancer can participate in research and review of the key issues and participate in shared decision-making with you. The list of questions below is by no means conclusive. Please contact me with any questions you may have.
Key Points-
- End-of-life care provides physical, mental, and emotional comfort, as well as social support, to people who are living with and dying of advanced illness.
- People who have already discussed their wishes for end-of-life care with their loved ones feel less stress at the end of their life, and so do their families.
- Advance directives are legal documents that record a person’s wishes for end-of-life care.
- Research has shown that hospice care may improve the quality of life of a cancer patient who is dying and of the patient’s family.
I’m a long-term MM survivor who has thought A LOT about stages, therapies, conventional, non-conventional, everything. There is a huge temptation for survivors and caregivers to undergo aggressive therapies during our last months. I will not let this happen to me should I reach end-stage MM.
I plan to undergo palliative therapies and enter hospice care when my time comes.
To learn more about hospice, palliative or other multiple myeloma issues, scroll down the page, post a question or a comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you-
David Emerson
- Multiple Myeloma Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading-
1) What is hospice care?
“Hospice is a type of palliative care that provides services to improve the quality-of-life for the patient and family. The word “hospice” literally means “a place of shelter.” Hospice settings and home-hospice care provide extensive services to terminally ill patients. Care usually involves relieving symptoms and providing psychological and social support. “
2) Who is eligible for HC?
3) What are the different types of HC services?
4) How do doctors know how long a person will continue to live?
5) When should someone call for professional help if they’re caring for a person who has cancer at home?
6) When is the right time to use HC?
7) What are some ways to provide emotional support to a person who is living with and dying of cancer?
8) Hospice Care and the Caregiver-
“In the study, caregivers reported a high degree of satisfaction from having a team comprised of an advance practice nurse, social worker, a spiritual advisor and the patient’s oncologist explain what was happening and why during the dying process…”
9) HC Lowers Cost and ICU Use in Cancer Patients-
“HC at the end of life can significantly lower rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and invasive procedures for cancer patients, according to a new study. Not surprisingly, it can also significantly lower healthcare costs…”
10)Patients who do not enroll in hospice are more likely to receive aggressive cancer care-
“”Patients who didn’t enroll in hospice ended up with far more aggressive care in their last year of life–most of it related to acute complications like infections and organ failure, and not directly related to their cancer diagnosis.”
“Patients with advanced myeloma experience a high symptom burden particularly near the end of life, making timely hospice use crucial…
In conclusion, our data suggest that along with vast improvements in treatment and survival, there has also been meaningful progress in EOL care for patients with myeloma in the USA. These patients are not only enrolling more often in hospice, but the increase in use is not driven by late enrollment.
Still, there remains ample opportunity for further improvement, particularly among patients who survive less than one year, are dialysis-dependent, or transfusion-dependent. Possible solutions include earlier goals of care discussions, bridge palliative care services, and modification of the hospice model to enable transfusion support.”
