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When is hospice the right choice? If you or a loved one is suffering from a life-limiting illness, there comes a time when hospice care should be considered. For some people in the advanced stages of an illness, there tends to be a philosophy shift from aggressive curative treatments to comfort treatments with a focus on the quality of life as the highest priority. Hospice services focus on a person's quality of life and aim to help them live as comfortably as possible; with peace of mind they have a team in place to support them as well as their family. 

 

Hospice services are often recommended when:

• Curative treatments are no longer effective, or a cure for the disease is not available.

• Potential treatments are offered with the goal of extending life, but the patient may see the side effects of treatment as worse than the condition itself.

• The patient has uncontrolled pain.

• Families desire to keep the person at home instead of transferring them to a hospital or nursing home.

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The patient’s healthcare physician can help determine whether hospice care is medically appropriate.