Hospice assessment

JDancer

I'm ready to have my husband assessed for hospice. He doesn't meet all the criteria on the checklist, but I've been encouraged to have a home assessment. Any tips for those of you that have done this? I plan to tell him it's an assessment for insurance coverage, without mentioning the word hospice. Anything I should be sure to mention to increase the chances he will be accepted?

Quilting brings calm

Be honest and don’t minimize the struggles. If he occasionally has issues showing, dressing, picking out clothing, toileting, incontinence, etc… then the answer when asked is YES, he has trouble with that.
Try not to use the word hospice. The hospice staff was very good about that. Unfortunately an AL staff member was not. Mom heard the word hospice and decided she was dying. She wasn’t, and wouldn’t have been… but she decided she was. It was three weeks of extreme anxiety. By then she had quit eating.

Kat63

I told my DH that they were affiliated with our doctor and have a service to come to our house so we don’t have to go to his office. He accepted this and has always been good about having the aide and nurse here. When I was evaluated, I didn’t think he would qualify but he did. I had to shower him and help dress him at that time. I didn’t say anything about his walking, but the hospice staff noticed he used furniture and walls to steady him as he walked around inside the house. So I got the impression that the bathing and walking were what qualified him. Yes just be honest about what all you help him with daily. Hope you qualify as they are so helpful.

JDancer

Thank you, this is making me feel hopeful.

GothicGremlin

I did the same things as @Quilting brings calm and @Kat63 - I never mentioned hospice, and neither did they. And as Quilting said, don't minimize the struggles.

One of the things that prompted me to call hospice was that my sister had lost a lot of weight. She'd lost close to 50 pounds in about four months, and I think that was the deciding factor for the hospice evaluators. I don't know where your husband is with his weight, but if he's losing weight, don't forget to mention it.

Iris L.

Loss of weight is called "failure to thrive" and is one of the qualifying criteria. Be sure to stress this.

Iris

JDancer

No weight loss But today he came into the living room without pants, so I think he can't dress himself any longer.

forbarbara

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/238711#Comment_238711

Yes I believe that’s a good indicator! And funny, in our warped caregiver world.
Good luck with the assessment.
Something to be aware of - many of our PWDs have gone on and off hospice a few times too. There’s a reassessment every 90 days. But hospice is a big help when you can get it.

JDancer

We cleared the first hurdle on the way to hospice care. After the initial assessment, the nurse said he would approve my spouse. We will have an admission assessment next week. He can still walk and feed himself, but couldn't speak coherently, which tipped the scales. I'm a little numb right now, but looking forward to some help.

Kat63

Great. Glad you have been accepted for hospice. When my DH was accepted I told people it felt like I could exhale! Having their services is a big help.

JDancer

I hope so. Not sure how he's going to react, but something has to change and it beats memory care

Kat63

My DH has always accepted the hospice aide and nurse. I hope all goes well for you and your DH. Please let us know.