Hospice care criteria for COPD patients: Advantages of hospice care and further details
Breathlessness is a common symptom of COPD, a long-term lung condition that affects millions of people worldwide. This condition can cause chest tightness, suffocation, running out of breath, and air hunger, making everyday activities challenging.
When managing COPD, palliative care plays a crucial role. Palliative care focuses on managing symptoms and maintaining the best quality of life for individuals with COPD. It is recommended at any stage where symptom management and quality of life improvement are needed, especially in severe or advanced disease. Palliative care is underutilized in COPD but is advocated to manage symptoms like dyspnea, anxiety, and fatigue, and to support advance care planning.
Hospice care is a specific type of palliative care designed for individuals approaching the end of their life. Hospice care is suitable for individuals whose COPD symptoms are not improving despite treatment, or when a person experiences a progressive decline in overall health, increasing symptoms, and a reliance on family and caregivers to perform daily activities.
To be eligible for hospice care, a physician must certify that the patient has a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness follows its natural course. This aligns with general hospice eligibility standards for terminal illnesses and applies to end-stage COPD. In addition to the 6-month prognosis, clinical indicators often considered include frequent hospitalizations or exacerbations despite optimal treatment, a progressive decline in lung function and daily activities, dependence on supplemental oxygen or ventilatory support, and severe breathlessness refractory to therapy.
Palliative care teams can help manage postoperative pain, assist in discussions about advanced care planning, offer assistance in making difficult decisions, manage fear, depression, and anxiety in both individuals and their caregivers, help design a discharge plan, navigate the medical system, provide medications and therapies to relieve stress, and improve communication between healthcare professionals, the person with COPD, and their caregivers, leading to early identification, assessment, and treatment of symptoms.
Palliative care can also support the practical, emotional, and spiritual needs of individuals with COPD and their families, particularly those in advanced stages. Palliative care is specialized medical care aimed at enhancing quality of life for people with serious illnesses like COPD.
For those seeking palliative care, resources are available. People can find nearby palliative care providers by visiting GetPalliativeCare.org's Provider Directory and selecting their preferred setting and entering their address.
It's important to note that over 12.5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with COPD. With the right care and support, individuals can manage their condition and maintain a good quality of life.
In summary, palliative care and hospice care offer essential support for individuals with COPD. Palliative care is recommended at any stage where symptom management and quality of life improvement are needed, while hospice care is suitable for individuals whose COPD symptoms are not improving despite treatment or when a person experiences a progressive decline in overall health, increasing symptoms, and a reliance on family and caregivers to perform daily activities.
[1] National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. (2021). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from https://www.nhpco.org/what-is-hospice/hospice-faqs
[2] American Lung Association. (n.d.). Palliative Care. Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/resources/palliative-care
[3] National Institute on Aging. (2020). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd
[5] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2021). Hospice Care. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Programs-and-Initiatives/End-of-Life-Care-Education-Resources/Hospice-Care.html
- The treatment of COPD necessitates the implementation of palliative care strategies, which concentrate on managing symptoms and improving the quality of life for individuals with COPD.
- In advanced COPD stages, where treatment isn't effectively improving symptoms, hospice care might be a suitable option, catering to individuals with progressive declines in overall health and increased reliance on family and caregivers for daily activities.
- Palliative care services can manage symptoms like postoperative pain, provide support in advanced care planning discussions, and address psychological concerns, such as fear, depression, and anxiety in both individuals and caregivers.
- Palliative care teams can aid in designing discharge plans, navigating the medical system, and improving communication between healthcare professionals, COPD patients, and their caregivers, which can lead to early identification, assessment, and treatment of symptoms.
- To access palliative care services, resources are available, such as the Provider Directory on GetPalliativeCare.org, allowing people to find nearby providers and select their preferred setting based on their location.
