Family advocates for hospice care, says it doesn't always mean end-of-life

Family advocates for hospice care, says it doesn't always mean end-of-life: Highlights case of the late Former President Jimmy Carter who spent nearly 2 years in hospice 
CBS WTKR 3, Hampton Roads | Northeast NC; by Jay Greene; 12/20/24 
Dana Romano's mom, Marilyn, headed home from the Dozoretz Hospice House of Hampton Roads in Virginia Beach on Monday evening after spending a few days in respite care while her family was out of town. "The whole reason not to have my mom in a facility is we want her with us. But when you're doing long periods of time, every once in a while, you need a break, so having a place where you know they're going to take care of her and treat her like, almost like family," Dana said. "We kind of look at this more like a resort than a hospice." ... When at home Marilyn receives hospice care, but it's not because she needs care, the Romanos said. It's because she needs supervision. ... The family told News 3's Jay Greene this is a case where hospice does not mean end-of-life. It actually helped alleviate some stress. ... The Romano's told News 3's Jay Greene hospice ["has no time limit"] and is all about extending life as comfortably as possible, citing Former President Jimmy Carter who died at the age of 100 this weekend.
Editor's note: These descriptions by the family about hospice care are both alarming and expected. Throughout Jimmy Carter's extended hospice Length Of Stay (LOS), far too many hospice organizations misused messaging for its marketing purposes. We have addressed this discrepancy in a dozen posts throughout the year. Click here for the CMS "Face-to-Face Requirement Affecting Hospice Recertification." Disclaimer: We do not know specifics about what this hospice communicated with this family. We refer readers to this as publicly reported news story, asking, “What are you communicating?” What do the patients and families you serve understand--or not--about end-of-life/hospice care?