In this Elder Law Minute, Wes Coulson wants you to think of Hospice as a light switch.
Transcript:
Hi! I’m Wes Coulson from Dent-Coulson Elder Law, proudly serving clients throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond. I’d like to welcome you to our Elder Law and Estate Planning Minute. We do these to help educate people, give them some little tips, and especially to let them know the questions they need to ask, things that they’ve maybe not thought of. Our thought on that is that we can help you best if you realize the things that you need help and that we can help you with. So I hope you enjoy. Thanks!
If you are in a situation, in which you are having to look at the question of going on Hospice or placing a loved one on Hospice. There is something important that I think you need to know, and that is what it means to make a Hospice selection. First of all, it doesn’t mean that the person is going to die in a few weeks. What it means, is that you’ve made an election for them to receive palliative, or comfort care, rather than curative care.
In any situation in which that would be beneficial, it’s clearly the right thing, in my mind, to do if it’s offered. Here’s why. That election isn’t permanent. If you’ve elected palliative care for someone, for instance, who has terminal cancer, but then they break a leg, you can reverse the election. Have them get off Hospice, have the broken leg treated, or pneumonia treated, or whatever it may be. And then, go back to being on Hospice again after that problem has been addressed.
So think of Hospice as a light switch that you can switch on and off to make sure that you have the best care for that person’s situation, that’s appropriate to their needs, at any given time.
Thanks!
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“Your Trusted Advisor on the Elder Care Journey”
Dent-Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to providing families in the St. Louis area with their Elder Law needs. Our practice areas include Asset Preservation Planning, Veterans Benefits, Medicaid Eligibility, Alzheimer’s Planning, Special Needs Planning, Estate Planning and more. We understand the financial challenges you may face as you and your loved ones grow older. At Dent-Coulson Elder Law, our clients’ well-being is our number one priority. For immediate help, call (618) 632-7000 (IL) or (314) 567-9292 (MO), or Contact Us and we will get in touch as soon as possible.
