Jane-help may be on its way. I just spoke to our hospice nurse. She apologizes for not mailing me the Plan of Care. Their protocol is copyrighted and she must put it in my hand with an explanation-not permitted to mail it. She explained the criteria are the same from state to state but that the documentation varies by individual Hospices. That is why the service varies. I will be meeting with her next Tuesday and we'll see where it goes from there. bluedaze
I received the EOB from Medicare today on what our Hospice billed to Mediare from 04/02/08 -04/30/08. The total billed is $4,640 and Medicare paid $3,872 of course they had to write off the diffrence. we owe zero. Our Nurse and Social worker were both here today. They told me that Mediare pays them a set amount no matter how many services they offer to us and that we use. So I take it that the more services you use from them the more it costs them to serve you.
I was concerned because I am going to use the Respite which will cost them but they told me not to worry about it that my husband is on no medications and that the services we have used are not nearly as much as a lot of people. They have some people on very expensive medications. That is the reason I have not used anything that I felt I did not have to have. I would say if I utilized all such as Hospital bed (which of course I have to have.) Wheel Chair which I have my own, CNA for bath, and on and on I would think they would want to get rid of us if they could.
Anyway, the nurse told me today that my husband has declined, (It is not yet time for our re-cert so I did not mention that to her.) I asked her what she saw as a decline and she said the Bowels have changed, the verbal abilites are less, and the weight loss. She said she herself could see the decline so I guess we will re-cert. They encouraged me to use the Respite every month, of course I will not do that but it did make me feel better.
I am so anxious to hear what the papers read bluedaze. Thank you so much.
I wish I knew...I hate not knowing what this means. Do people hang on for long like this?
She wasn't eating for awhile, but now she's eating again. But she's still losing weight. Hospice has said that the body can eat, but not know how to process the food. Even if someone said, "OK, looks like she's got four months at this point" or a year, or whatever, I thought I would feel better. I hate the hanging on...it's like a torture.
trisinger, I know exactly how you feel. There is no way of knowing the answer to this, only God in all his wisdom knows. The Hospice nurse told me that people ask that question all the time (I had not even asked her that she just brought it up.) She said there is absolutely no way that even they can know until it is ready to happen. Some people can look the picture of health and go and others like death warmed over and linger forever.
I also wonder how the body can go on and on when all else has left.