A life-limiting illness is an incurable chronic disease or condition that no longer respond to curative treatments. Examples of a life-limiting illness include:

• Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia
• Stroke
• ALS
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Heart Disease
• Pulmonary Disease
• Liver Disease
• End-stage Renal Disease
• AIDS
• Cancer

A life limiting illness, coupled with symptoms below, could be indicators of decline and hospice eligibility:

• Frequent hospitalizations, ER visits, or visits to the physician within the last six months
• Progressive weight loss (with consideration to weight gain factors such as edema, when applicable)
• Decreasing appetite
• Dysphagia or difficulty swallowing
• Increased weakness or fatigue
• Decline in cognitive status or functional abilities
• Increasing assistance needed with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
• Increasing pain or increasing difficulty in controlling pain
• Increasing dyspnea or shortness of breath
• Oxygen dependency
• Reoccurring infections
• Ascites
• Increased nausea and/or vomiting that is difficult to control
• A desire to forgo future hospitalizations
• A request to discontinue treatment
• Recurrent or frequent infections
• Skin breakdown
• A specific decline in condition

If you or a loved one has a life-limiting illness and are experiencing any of the above symptoms, consider speaking to your physician about hospice services. You can also call Abode Hospice & Home Health, and one of our team members can help guide you through the process of requesting hospice through your physician.