Signs Your Aging Parent May Be Ready for Hospice Care:
- Their treatments are no longer working and/or they no longer desire to pursue aggressive interventions
- Their symptoms are getting harder to manage
- They are visiting the doctor more and/or have been hospitalized or visited the ER more frequently
- They need a lot more help with activities of daily living (i.e. personal care, feeding, getting dressed)
- They are experiencing decreased alertness, withdrawal, or confusion
- They don’t have much of an appetite and/or are losing weight for no apparent reason
- They have uncontrolled symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, etc.
- They are sleeping a lot of the time
- You’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed as a caretaker
- There is a decision to focus on quality of life