Archive for December 2020

When is Hospice Right for Heart Disease Patients?

Posted on Dec 09, 2020

The Confusing Relationship Between Hospice and Heart Disease

Could heart disease patients benefit from hospice services and when? 

Because hospice services are usually recommended by a physician when all treatment avenues are have been expended, and a patient is expected only to live an additional year, six months, or less, heart disease can make matters complicated for all involved. 

When is hospice right for heart disease patients? 

Though one may receive a diagnosis of severe heart disease, determining when heart failure will ultimately take their life is difficult, if not impossible. Due to heart disease’s complex nature, only a physician can determine if hospice services are the best next choice.

What are some signs that a heart disease patient may be considered for hospice? 

Though rare, it’s not unheard of for a physician to recommend hospice services for a patient who has a combination of the following signs: 

  • Advanced coronary disease with bouts of severe chest pain due to angina
  • Has expended all surgical options for treatment
  • Has personally decided not to opt for any additional treatments

Why would hospice be the right choice for those with a terminal heart condition? 

When all treatments aimed at recovery from heart disease have been expended, hospice care can help these patients find more day-to-day comfort than they may have ordinarily received toward the end of their life. This care includes management of their pain, shortness of breath, and other persistent discomforts. At times, managing these symptoms in lieu of aggressive attempts at curative treatments actually result in fewer instances of hospitalization and an overall higher quality of life. 

Many loved ones and patients of advanced heart disease who were ultimately forced to undergo hospice services in the last few days of life claim they wish they had sought out hospice care much sooner. 

Palliative and Hospice Care in the Greater Tulsa, Oklahoma Area

If you’re looking for nurturing and professional hospice or palliative care services in Tulsa, Oklahoma, look no further than the friendly assistance from Cura HPA Hospice & Palliative Care. 

4 Misconceptions About Dementia Staging

Posted on Dec 09, 2020

1. There’s not a single dementia staging model. 

Staging one’s level or stage of dementia can be immensely difficult due to not only the various types of dementia but also the different staging models that may exist per dementia type. For the sake of clear communication between caregivers and family, it is crucial to determine which staging model will be implemented. Which staging model is to be followed should ideally be determined by a physician. Upon dementia diagnosis, feel free to ask which staging model will be utilized and how stages will be determined going forward according to this model. 

2. A dementia patient may seem to flow between stages. 

One of the most confusing aspects of dementia is the day-to-day mental state of the patient. Depending on the style of dementia, several days of intense confusion may be followed by days of apparent clarity and a return to one’s “old self.” While days of clarity should be cherished, treating them as a symptom of improvement may be emotionally precarious for loved ones. These good days following bad days can be a bit of a rollercoaster, so it is important for loved ones and caregivers to “zoom out”—determining the state of a patient’s wellbeing by taking an average of a month or even several months to gauge their condition—not one day to the next. 

3. There’s no set time per stage for patients. 

It’s not wise to estimate just how long it will take a dementia patient to move from one stage to the next. Too many variables exist that can speed up or slow down the rate of dementia stage progression. The type of dementia, specific age, activity, socialization, and even one’s diet can impact one’s time in a particular stage of dementia. No one can put a particular date on the rate of progression of one’s dementia.

4. There’s no singular symptom used in staging. 

As much as one would like a clear sign that their loved one has moved from one stage of dementia to another, that’s not necessarily how staging works. Instead, specialists look at a range of symptoms, their frequency, and many other factors to determine the stage of a patient’s dementia. While confusing for loved ones, this may actually provide a bit of hope for those who have already assumed an extremely late stage due to one or two specific symptoms. No two cases are identical, and no two timelines are the same. 

Palliative and Hospice Care in the Greater Tulsa, Oklahoma Area

If you’re looking for nurturing and professional hospice or palliative care services in Tulsa, Oklahoma, look no further than the friendly assistance from Cura HPA Hospice & Palliative Care.