A question about the Amount of Sleep in Stage 7

Vitruvius

In a recent post I noted that my DW is being discharged from hospice which she has been on for six months. They state that they cannot assess her as dying in the next six months. I am entitled to appeal this decision and of course seek an assessment from a different hospice agency. 

So I want to ask those of you in Stage 8 who are still around and anyone whose LO is currently on hospice about how much they slept or sleep while on hospice. I just want to know if sleeping a lot can be point of evaluation for hospice. 

My DW sleeps 19-20 hours a day. Even when she is "awake" she often sort of zones out with her eyes closed. In this state she is still aware of activities around her, and sometimes comments (generally incomprehensibly) on things she hears without opening her eyes. 

I know some may respond that I should just seek another agency, and I may well do so, but I just want to get my rationale down for doing so.

Quite frankly, I can see that hospice would be invaluable for those whose LO is still home. For my DW in an MCF, it has been comforting to know she is getting more professional attention, but it is not essential to her care. Maybe it's okay to just wait until another noticeable downturn. 

So there's the question: How much does/did your LO sleep while on hospice?

Ed1937

When my brother was in hospice, he was sleeping just about all the time, definitely more than your wife. But he was only in hospice for about 2 - 3 weeks before passing. My guess is that the amount someone sleeps would not be part of the criteria for being accepted, but that's just a guess. It seems that different hospices are not all the same.

Jeff86

My DW is early stage 7 and, as I posted not long ago, recently accepted into hospice. She sleeps about 15 hours overnight, and only gets up because we wake her. Some sleep during the day but irregular and unpredictable. I don’t believe that sleep was an issue either way in her hospice evaluation. YMMV.

Army_Vet60

If your DW is sleeping about 20 hours a day, I don't understand how the Hospice could discharge her, or assess that she will not die in six months.

When my wife was in stage 7, by the time she was sleeping more than any thing else, she was pretty much bed bound, incontinent, and eating and drinking through a straw.

IMO, if your wife isn't eating and drinking, the 20 hours of sleeping per day will soon extend into a non-responsive sleep while the brain starts shutting down her body. This could last days or more than a week.

Please appeal ASAP. You will need a Hospice nurse and assistants to help you during this time.

fayth

We had hospice involvement for 2.5 years before my husband died. He slept a lot for those years but the main thing that kept him on hospice was that he kept declining, although gradually. He lost weight and became less alert. He was unable to walk for 2.5 years, could not feed himself, could not talk, etc. He was in MC for the last year. I absolutely needed this help while he was at home. But I found that hospice was very helpful when he was in MC. It was more continuity of care for him, and it helped give me support and continuity too. Without hospice, I don't think he could have stayed at his MC. At any rate, he would not have been admitted to his MC without this extra support.