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Hi DrCarol,
I was a hospice nurse in the latter part of my nursing career. Yes, the criteria is that a patient has 6 months to live (but no one can REALLY say when a person’s time has come.)
You mom would qualify due to her medical conditions and her age. No government agency would argue with her going on hospice and I’m sure she’ll be approved. It is a free service.

Check out the ratings for the hospices in your area (yelp, word of mouth, hospital social worker’s opinion, google rating, etc.) and pick the highest rated one.

The services provided by hospice are a hospital bed, suction machine, diapers and wipes, comfort meds, doctor checks, nurse checks (vitals, pain assessment, etc.) , home health aide (bathing), chaplain, music therapist, etc.

Please understand that by signing up for hospice you agree to have your mom’s care handled by hospice. The only time she would go to the hospital would be for “comfort care” NOT treatment of her conditions. If she would be admitted to the hospital, hospice would be stopped until she was back at home or the facility. She would need to be signed up again.

Make sure you read what is offered and discuss everything with a nurse or social worker employed by the hospice you choose.

I have seen patients in hospice for a year or more. I’ve also seen patients “graduate” off hospice and get better.

Hospice can be a great support but you need to read the fine print and understand what you are signing her up for. You can cancel hospice at any time or change to another one.

Good luck.
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Takincare Aug 2019
Great answer! You are/were what I think of as one of Gods special angels, thank you for your work with hospice.
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