When Life Turns Upside Down

When Life Turns Upside Down

Senior female being supported by a female hospice nurse

Having a bucket list and crossing things off is a great privilege denied to many people. All too often, there are stories like this: “We were going to travel the country. We saved and planned, bought the RV, and my wife got cancer.”

Because you never know what the future holds, it’s important to do what you’re saving for someday as soon as possible. Tomorrow and even the rest of today are not promised.

Facing the Unexpected

What if you received test results from your doctor that you have an incurable illness that would cause you to pass away in six months? What trips would you take, what conversations would you have, and what things would you want your family to know? Would you worry about how they would get by? Do you envision your final days at home, in a hospital, or in a residential care setting?

These are the “what ifs” no one wants to consider. If you faced this situation, where would you turn for help? Some might reach out to their religious leaders, others find therapists, and some also find solace through hospice.

Exploring hospice is complicated. People may avoid it because they wish they didn’t need it or may not fully believe it’s necessary. Another possible reason people shy away is that they may not realize that they don’t have to be actively dying to enroll. Because of the many myths surrounding hospice, the median enrollment is around three weeks or less.

When it’s possible to qualify for hospice sooner, emotional support is available to help ease the situation. When doctors can’t do anything more, and there are no more trial treatments or cures, hospice can help patients and their families have emotional and spiritual support.

Hospice Offers Physical and Emotional Comfort

Hospice teams include medical doctors, nurses, chaplains, social services staff, and volunteers. Your team can help you better understand your condition and how to live each day of your last chapter as YOU wish. Families can also greatly benefit from hospice support.

Hospice teams help their patients feel heard and have their wishes honored. Staff can also help patients communicate their wishes to their families.

Patients and their families can receive guidance about illness and the dying process. This includes gaining an understanding of what a peaceful passing can look like. Dying itself doesn’t typically cause pain, but symptoms of the disease do, and that’s what hospice nurses help patients to control.

Aside from pain management, hospice patients can also have medication to reduce the anxiety they may face about dying. Contrary to what many may think, hospice doesn’t overmedicate their patients. Nurses can offer pain management but also focus on quality of life, including helping each patient be alert.

Improving Quality of Life

Without hospice, patients might spend their final months, weeks, or days in and out of the hospital trying to manage the symptoms of their condition. Ambulances, emergency departments, and hospitals are meant to help people get better.

When a cure is not possible, why wait to have symptoms managed in those settings if there’s a more comfortable place to be? Hospice brings care, support, and medication wherever patients call home, whether in a private residence or a senior living community.

Family Support

While bereavement support for families is optional, hospice can offer it for up to 13 months following a patient’s passing. They do this because just like lasts are hard, so are firsts. First anniversaries, holidays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and birthdays can be emotionally challenging to manage. Staff typically reach out to check in and offer added support or even to be a listening ear during these occasions.

Hospice services are often funded through Medicare or Medicaid, private insurance, and private pay. If you’re considering hospice for yourself or a loved one, please get in touch with us at CaringEdge today by emailing us at info@caringedge.com. We can complete an assessment to help you navigate the enrollment process.

Don’t Let Diabetes Take Control

Don’t Let Diabetes Take Control

ce diabetes image

Are you one of 38.4 million Americans who have diabetes? That number (from the NIH) includes people who may not even have a diabetes diagnosis!

Typical signs of diabetes are frequent urination, excessive thirst, unintended weight loss, fatigue, slow-healing sores, numbness or tingling, changes to skin, and blurred vision.  These symptoms can suddenly occur or possibly be slowly happening for years.

If you’re concerned that you or a loved one has diabetes, it’s important to get checked out right away to avoid complications. A visit to your primary care provider is the best first step to learning about your risks, how to prevent them, or how to manage your condition best if you have it.

While most people think of type one and type two diabetes, four types can be diagnosed. One type of diabetes may even be reversible.

Types of Diabetes

There are four main types of diabetes. Type one, type two, gestational diabetes, and prediabetes. Type 2 diabetes, According to the WHO, is the most prevalent, and it accounts for 90-95% of all cases. Thankfully, more and more information is available on how to manage type two diabetes and possibly eliminate the need to use medications to treat it. Through diet and lifestyle changes, there is much hope for those facing type 2 diabetes.

Living with Diabetes

Successfully managing diabetes takes up a lot of time and energy. For anyone facing multiple chronic conditions, it may feel like a full-time job to stay ahead of possible complications. Improperly managed diabetes can create all kinds of additional symptoms, making the quality of life for those fighting it quite grim.

Long-term effects of unregulated diabetes can cause eye, heart, and kidney damage. Those with diabetes are also at a higher risk of amputations because of nerve damage and circulation problems.


Tips to Manage Your Diabetes

  • Stay active
  • Don’t smoke
  • Eat healthy foods
  • Follow a diabetic diet
  • Get regular skin checks
  • Take care of your feet
  • Take your medications as prescribed
  • See your doctor regularly

With age-related conditions or juggling multiple health issues, proper diabetes care can become very difficult. If you’re struggling to manage your care or spending more time in the ER and at the hospital due to complications, home health services could be the missing piece to help you feel like YOU again!

Home Healthcare Offers:

  • RN visits to review/educate on medications, check vitals, & blood sugars
  • Insulin injection & fingertip testing education
  • Improving functional strength & mobility
  • Glucose monitoring
  • Diabetic foot exams, eye checks, & skin assessments
  • Dietary consultations & education by a registered dietitian
  • Coordination of appointments/services at home
  • Smoking cessation resources
  • Establishing daily activity/exercise goals

Patient Outcomes Include:

  • Decrease your risks for additional health complications 
  • Improve your quality of life
  • Maintain or regain your independence
  • Reduce hospitalizations/visits to the ER
  • Get back to feeling like YOU again

Paying for Home Health:

  • Medicare
  • Medicaid
  • Private insurance & private pay

Home health nurses can help you maintain your independence at home in the best way that works for you. With CaringEdge Home Health, YOU are at the center of your care plan, and our goal is to help you achieve your outcomes. 

If you’re tired of frequent complications with your diabetes and visits to the emergency room, clinic, and hospital, the convenience of home health might be for you. Take control of your diabetes and health with CaringEdge today!