Benefits of Hospice
Hospice patients. Beneficiaries of hospice care include first the patients served by hospice programs. Hospice patients are defined as being terminally ill, no longer seeking active treatment aimed at cure and having an estimated prognosis of 6 months or less to live. Approximately 46% are cancer patients with the balance suffering from AIDS, Alzheimer's Disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), end stage heart and lung disease and other life-threatening non-cancer conditions.
Hospice families. Cancer and other terminal illnesses have a tremendous effect on the patient's family and loved ones. Often they must abandon other pursuits to care for the patient. The loss of income from the patient and caregiver, combined with heavy medical expenses, can leave a family on the verge of bankruptcy. Even for families without financial problems, the emotional burden of watching the slow death of a loved one can be overwhelming. Physical burdens of providing 24 hour care to a dying loved one can result in illness or injury for family caregivers.
For this reason hospice programs care for the family as a whole, using a multidisciplinary team approach. A typical hospice team would include the physician, nurse, volunteer health aide, spiritual counselor, psychological and emotional counselors, physical and occupational therapists and a social worker to help with family needs. After the patient's death, hospice programs provide follow-up bereavement counseling and social work assistance.
Business. The business community gains economically from hospice care, since home hospice care saves health care benefit dollars. The federal government's studies conducted prior to 1983 demonstrated that, on the average, hospice care saves between $1,500 and $3,000 per patient in health care expenses during the last 3 months of life.
These savings come from the use of less expensive home care and participation of family members and volunteers in the provision of care. Recent studies confirm continued cost savings. The rapid growth of hospital costs since 1989 have made the rate of cost savings even higher.
Hospice care decreases absentee-related costs for the employers of individuals coping with the care needs of terminally-ill loved ones. Through the practical support of the hospice team, family members can continue working with few interruptions. Their concentration and work performance are likely to be of higher quality because of the emotional and spiritual support (as well as the practical respite care) received from the hospice team. A major emphasis of hospice care is to provide adequate rest for family members so they can fulfill their life commitments.
Health care providers. Hospice came into existence to fill a void in modern health care. Physicians and other health care providers are often not well trained to deal with terminal illness and death. Hospitals are designed primarily to cure patients, not to help them through the social and emotional issues of dying. Locally-based accredited and certified hospice programs provide a resource to which health care professionals can refer patients with confidence.
Hospitals. Since hospice programs have required significant financial subsidization in order to meet operating expenses, the primary benefit to hospitals has been the community good will they help create. An early survey by the American Hospital Association revealed that the typical hospital-sponsored home care hospice program required subsidization of 36% or its expenses. While hospice reduces America's overall health care costs, hospital profits come from caring for patients in the hospital, not in the home setting.
Other involved groups. When a person has a terminal illness, not only the family but everyone involved with them is affected. The improved emotional and financial stability of hospice family members benefits their employers and co-workers, friends, classmates and teachers, church members and everyone else who comes into frequent contact with them. All of these groups benefit from the availability of local hospice programs.
General public. In a sense, everyone benefits from hospice programs. Almost everyone has known someone with a terminal illness. Hospice programs provide education to the general public about dealing with loss and grief, death and dying. Furthermore, by providing a model of humane health care and by lowering health care expenses, hospice improves the quality of life for all persons.
