Hospice Care for a CVA

Hospice is a caring, supportive plan of care for terminally ill patients and their families. It meets the needs of the entire family and provides nursing, chaplains, social workers, volunteers, bereavement coordinators and nursing aides. The goal is for the patient to enter the end of life with quality. It is focused on palliative, not curative, care. The medical aspect is not the only concern with hospice; the spiritual and emotional are just as important. It's a natural and caring way for those who have suffered a cerbral vascular accident (CVA), or stroke, and their families to enter the end of the patient's life while the patient stays at home and has a degree of control.

Definition

• A CVA, or stroke, occurs when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain or when there is a brain bleed that blocks the flow of blood. The brain suffers damage after the blockage because cells begin to die. About 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year, and it is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. After a stroke, the patient usually had debilitated capacity. Sufferers become paralyzed and cannot talk or think properly. Death from a stroke often takes place within 30 days.

Who Qualifies

• It can be hard to determine whether a stroke patients meets end-of-life status. The patient may be debilitated but not dying. In order to be on hospice, the patient must exhibit a decline in his health to the point where he will eventually be unable to sustain life. If she cannot maintain adequate hydration, food intake, is losing weight over a six-month period, the albumin level is less than 2.5 or is severely dysphagic, then she meets the qualifications.

Nursing Care

• Nurses are usually the team captains for hospice. They coordinate the care for the terminally ill stroke patient. They do in-home visits several times a week to check the progression of the illness. They can assess the weakness of the patient, caloric intake, functional status, alertness and monitor for signs of dying. They also provide medication for comfort and guidance for the caregiver.

Chaplain

• A chaplain usually brings much-needed peace and comfort to stroke patients and their families. By the end, the patient is usually unable to eat, which can be very emotionally challengint for families. Chaplains, who are of no particular faith, provide spiritual guidance that allows caregivers to find a degree of peace in this difficult situation.

Bereavement Counselor

• The bereavement counselor guides the family through the dying process. They stay involved with the family for about a year after the patient's death. These counselors meet with the families, provide information on support groups, and are availablle throughout the entire dying and grief process.