Losing someone close to you can make you feel sad, lost, alone, and maybe even angry. You greatly miss the person who has died—you want them back. You might have also been so busy with caregiving that it now seems you have nothing to do. This can add to your feelings of loss. This is...

It can be overwhelming to be asked to make health care decisions for someone who is dying and no longer able to make his or her own decisions. It is even more difficult if you do not have written or even verbal guidance. How do you decide what type of care is right for someone?...

At the end of life, each story is different. Death comes suddenly, or a person lingers, gradually failing. For some older people, the body weakens while the mind stays alert. Others remain physically strong, and cognitive losses take a huge toll. But for everyone, death is inevitable, and each loss is personally felt by those...

People facing a fatal illness often find their fears and pain exacerbated by lack of control — with doctors poking and prodding and treating and testing even as the end grows near. Hospice care, however, can give back some control over someone’s final days through its compassionate focus on treating pain and helping both the...

The patient in the final stages of terminal illness will exhibit many outward physical signs that may indicate he or she is near death. These signs are normal and do not need to be discouraged or restrained by the dying patient’s loved ones. The information below will help you identify the typical signs and hep...

Grief may be experienced in response to physical losses, such as death, or in response to symbolic or social losses such as divorce of loss of a job. The grief experience can be affected by one’s history and support system. Taking care of yourself and accessing the support of friends and family can help you...

November 12, 2015 Contact: Maria Patino 832.408.7999 maria@accreditedhospicesofamerica.com The social worker is an integral member of Accredited Hospices of America team. As trained professionals, our first family upon entering the hospice program. Going forward we represent the individual/family’s wishes at every hospice team meeting. At the initial evaluation out goal is to identify where each...

You may have heard of a new medical term- Palliative care (pronounced PAH-LEE-UH-TIVE). For the last thirty years, palliative care has been provided by hospice programs for dying Americans. Currently these programs serve more than 1 million patients and their families each year. Now this very same approach to care is being used by other...

Contact: Debbie Mosbacher 832.408.7999 The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain free as possible. The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient’s experience reflects their wishes.Here are five ways that hospice helps to deliver this:...

Contact: Debbie Mosbacher 832.408.7999 October 14, 2015 There is a difference between the emphases each industry has. Hospice focuses on the quality of life and patient comfort. Hospice has the experience and specialization in pain and symptom management as well as support management as will as support services providing counseling and education. Home health generally...