Five Things to Do When Your Loved One is Resistant to Hospice Care

About 1.5 million people live in hospice care, with more requiring hospice and palliative care every year. End-of-life care is necessary for certain adults, but there is one big problem. Many adults are resistant to it.

For the elderly, the thought of even hospice home care is unpalatable. They feel that it deprives them of autonomy, even if they desperately need it for their health. They may resist hospice care at home even when discussion proves that facts are against them.

If you have an elderly relative or parent who requires this end-of-life care but is resistant, we are here to help. Here are five things you can do to help them choose hospice care for their help.

1. Be Understanding About Their Concerns

Even if they show all the signs of needing in-home hospice care, acknowledge their emotions. This is the one thing people in their twilight years fear the most. Making a step towards home hospice care or palliative care is no small feat, and even seniors can fear big life decisions.

2. Gain an Understanding of Their Definition of Hospice Care

There is a strong possibility that your elderly loved one has an incorrect idea of what hospice or palliative care really means. Many assume that it is a sentence to a depressing senior facility with drab walls and cruel nurses. They imagine being trapped amongst other elderly, playing cards, and getting no visits.

There are a lot of myths about an end-of-life care hospice that are simply not true. Giving them more accurate information may change their mind.

3. Consider All Your Options

It’s understandable that most people don’t like the idea of concierge care in a facility, but an end of life care hospice can be at home, meaning they never have to leave the family.

There’s a chance you can find a halfway point that satisfies both parties.

4. Provide Whatever Reassuring Information You Can

There’s a good chance that there is a silver lining to all this. Find those nuggets of good news and share them with your senior family members. It will make them feel a lot better about an in-home care hospice.

5. Try to Reframe Their View of Hospice Care

Part of the problem is that we view hospice care only as a negative. We see it as a death sentence where we shut someone away in a cupboard and forget about them. In truth, hospice care at home is about making someone’s life as comfortable as possible, which is always positive.

It’s giving them more chances to smell the flowers and appreciate the sunset. More time to spend with loved ones and make peace with the past.

Find Hospice Care Near Me

Hospice care is a big conversation that every elderly person wants to avoid. When it becomes necessary, it’s normal to expect some reticence. Using the above tips, you can re-center the conversation and eventually convince them that it is in their best interest.