Hospice and Palliative Care with Chris Fankhouser, director of Hospice Mercy Home Health & Hospice
Hospice care is not just a place to go to die. Across the United States, over 5,500 hospices provide medical services for pain management, lend emotional support and offer spiritual resources and therapies as patients enter their last stage of life. Some interesting facts about hospice care:
- Cancer is the largest category for hospice diagnoses, accounting for 37 percent of patients.
- Over 65 percent of patients’ pain was brought to a comfortable level within 48 hours of admission and assessment.
- Over 70 percent of families would rate their hospice care for their loved one as excellent.
While hospice care is being used more often, many families wished they had placed their loved one in the care of a provider sooner so their loved one could be more comfortable during their last days. Over 60 percent of patients only received care for 29 days.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/locations/mercy-hospital/specialties/hospice-palliative-care