The 98-year-old former president chose to spend the remainder of his time at home with family, rather than seek additional medical treatment.
(Bloomberg) — Jimmy Carter, the longest living president in US history, has decided to spend the remainder of his life at home surrounded by family, the Carter Center announced over the weekend.
He’ll receive home hospice care instead of further medical intervention, a statement said. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team.” The 98-year-old has faced a number of health problems in recent years, including surviving metastatic cancer and undergoing brain surgery to relieve pressure from a subdural hematoma, or brain bleed. Recently, he’s had a series of short hospital stays, the Carter Center said.
Hospice care provides pain relief to those for whom treatments have stopped working or have decided to forgo additional therapies. After the announcement, Carter received an outpouring of support, but many were left with questions about hospice and which patients might benefit from this type of care.
What is hospice care and who should choose it?
During hospice, patients typically stop curative medical treatments and care shifts to easing their pain and suffering and ensuring they’re comfortable. Hospice is typically provided for patients whose doctors believe they have six months or less to live, according to the US National Institute on Aging.
People can receive hospice care in two types of settings — at home or in a facility such as a nursing home, hospital or a separate hospice center, according to the NIA. A hospice care team can include health workers like doctors and nurses, but also social workers, spiritual advisors and volunteers who are able to provide medical, emotional and spiritual support to patients and their family.
What are the benefits of hospice care?
While it’s important that patients and their families first discuss options with their doctor or care team, hospice may be able to provide meaningful care and quality time with loved ones that isn’t always available in other medical settings. Patients still receive care for their overall health, but curative treatments, such as chemotherapy for cancer, are stopped.
“Sometimes, people don’t begin hospice care soon enough to take full advantage of the help it offers,” according to the NIA website. “They wait too long to begin hospice and they are too close to death.”
Palliative care is another option that provides specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, such as cancer or heart failure. Similar to hospice, palliative care aims to provide comfort to patients and ease symptoms, but during palliative care patients continue treatments intended cure their illnesses. People on palliative care may choose to transition to hospice care later on.
Will insurance pay for it?
It depends. Medicare plans will cover a range of hospice services for patients who qualify that aim to alleviate pain and other symptoms related to a patient’s terminal illness. Importantly, only patients whose doctors certify that they are terminally ill and have a life expectancy of 6 months or less qualify. Once hospice benefits kick in, Medicare will no longer cover treatments or drugs intended to cure a patient’s illness. For people on Medicaid, hospice is an optional state benefit. Almost all US states have opted to cover hospice care for those eligible, according to data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Hospice coverage varies for those on private insurance depending on their plans.
Are more people choosing hospice care?
In 2020, 1.72 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries chose hospice care, up 6.8% from 2019, according to the most recent report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. That represents the largest recent year-over-year increase in the number of Americans choosing hospice care, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage, according to the NHPCO.
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