Guidance for Patients and Families
Hospice is not just for people with end-stage cancer. Hospice can help
people with a variety of life-limiting conditions, when symptoms no longer
respond to curative treatment. The list below may serve as a guide. Ask
your doctor or contact your local hospice to learn more about your situation.
1. AIDS
•
Medication no longer slows disease progression
•
Increasing infections
•
Difficulties with self-care
•
Continued weight loss and weakness
2. ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
•
Decreased ability for self-care
•
Impaired swallowing, breathing
•
Muscle wasting or rigidity
•
Progressive weight loss
3. Alzheimer’s Disease or Senile Dementia
•
Difficulty swallowing
•
Loss of bowel and bladder control
•
Inability to speak, dress and feed oneself
•
Progressive weight loss
4. Cancer
•
Spread to other organs (metastases)
•
Treatment no longer slows disease progression
•
Continued weight loss
5. Congestive Heart Disease
•
Severe fatigue
•
Shortness of breath at rest
•
Chronic fluid build-up in chest and extremities
•
Frequent hospitalizations
6. End-Stage Kidney Disease
• Severe fluid build-up in abdomen and extremities
• Unstable disease requiring frequent hospitalizations
• Dialysis or transplant appropriate, but not desired
7. Lung Disease
•
Poor control of symptoms
•
Disabling shortness of breath with discomfort
•
Dependency on oxygen
•
Frequent crisis hospitalizations
8. Multi-system Breakdown
•
Multiple organ failure, such as heart disease
and chronic lung disease
•
Continued decline in overall health
9. Stroke
•
Coma or persistent vegetative state; irreversible damage
•
Inability to swallow
•
Need for total care
For a list of web-based hospices, click here.
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All Rights Reserved.
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