• Home
  • Geriatrics Blog
    • Helping Older Parents Posts
  • Helping Older Parents
  • Podcast
    • Helping Older Parents Podcast
    • Better Health While Aging Podcast
  • Testimonials
  • About
    • About Better Health While Aging
    • About Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH
  • Courses & More

Better Health While Aging

Practical information for aging health & family caregivers

  • Getting Started
    • Why Geriatrics
    • Are you a caregiver?
    • How to use this site
  • Popular Topics
    • Preventing Falls in Aging Adults
    • Medication Safety
    • Dementia, including Alzheimer’s
    • Advance Care Planning & End-of-Life

043 – How Hospice Helps at the End of Life, & Hospice for Alzheimer’s

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 4 Comments

043 – How Hospice Helps at the End of Life, & Hospice for Alzheimer’sLeslie Kernisan, MD MPH
  • Social:
  • Link:
https://betterhealthwhileaging.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/BHWAhospicebasicsandfordementia.6.28.17.mp3
Subscribe
Click the yellow button to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. For step-by-step instructions on how to listen with your smartphone or tablet, see here.

In This Episode:

Dr. K explains the basics of hospice care, with a special focus on hospice for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She covers:

  • The difference — and relationship — between hospice and palliative care
  • What kind of services and benefits you can get through hospice
  • How hospice eligibility is determined by Medicare
  • The difference between severe Alzheimer’s disease and “terminal” Alzheimer’s
  • How to know when someone with Alzheimer’s might be eligible for hospice
  • Why some people with dementia “recover” and may be discharged from hospice
  • Common misconceptions people have about palliative care and hospice
  • Why hospice is a good choice for most patients and families facing the end of life

Related episode: 

025 – Interview: Palliative Care to Live Well with Cancer

Related Resources:

  • Hospice in Dementia, Medications, & What to Do If You’re Concerned
  • Medicare.gov: How Hospice Works
  • Medicare: Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Hospice – Determining Terminal Status
  • How to Understand the Stages of Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias
  • What are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) & Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)?
  • Advanced Dementia: A Guide for Families
Never Miss an Episode! Sign up here to be notified of our latest podcast episodes by email. Click here now.
Print Friendly

Filed Under: Better Health While Aging Podcast Tagged with: Alzheimer's, dementia, end-of-life, hospice

Comments

  1. e-Patient Dave says

    July 29, 2017 at 8:15 AM

    Dr. K, thank you yet again for this episode. I sorta-kinda knew a lot of it, but frankly in this case you’ve provided something I can share with people who need to understand.

    I’m happy to say that now when I google “palliative care” the highlighted definition is this page https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/, which says it’s “specialized medical care for people with serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.”

    I’m seeking a clear and compelling way to explain palliative. That definition, and your podcast, talk about relief from symptoms, both from the disease and from problems caused by treatments. I know it’s separate from curative care, trying to stop a disease or condition; either can be done with or without the other, right?

    So I’m wondering if it’s accurate to say this: it’s like the way cold medicines are advertised as “relief from the symptoms of” XYZ. Cold medicines don’t stop the virus – your body eventually beats it. But symptomatic relief lets you get on with life, or at least feel less miserable. Same for some over-the-counter cough medicines (cough suppressants), right? They don’t stop the biological cause of the cough – they stop the cough itself, which is a symptom of the disease, right?

    I have a feeling the cough analogy is a little bit imprecise, so please correct it. It interests me because anyone can understand how good it is to have a good cough medicine, or cold medicine. So, if a loved one is miserable because of a disease that can’t be stopped (or IS being treated), or miserable because of the treatment (side effects), perhaps we can learn to ask “Can you do anything about these symptoms??”

    Am I understanding correctly? Is this a valid way for us all to think about palliative care and treating symptoms separate from the disease?

    Thank you again for your generosity in sharing all this information. I tell people every week about this podcast. Yesterday in particular this episode was important to someone.

    Reply
    • e-Patient Dave says

      July 29, 2017 at 8:56 AM

      Wow, that Get Palliative Care page includes this YouTube, which is a great clear summary in less than 2 minutes.

      I love that the script doesn’t say a thing about end of life – rather, “Its main goal is to improve your quality of life from the symptoms, pain and stress that are an inevitable byproduct of both the disease and the medical intervention. In short, palliative care provides support for your bridge.”

      Reply
      • Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says

        August 2, 2017 at 9:59 AM

        Exactly. People often conflate palliative care with end-of-life care, but it’s really an approach that we should apply to anyone who is suffering or distressed by their health problems.

        Reply
    • Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH says

      August 2, 2017 at 9:50 AM

      hi Dave,
      Yes, palliative care is focused on symptom relief, whereas most medical care is very focused on cure, minimizing the risk of death, and/or minimizing the risk of disease progression.

      Another way to think of it is that palliative care is more focused on what matters to patients and how they are feeling, whereas medical care has otherwise usually focused on what the doctors think is most important. It’s a little sad that doctors have historically often been rather oblivious to how patients are feeling, but there it is.

      Personally, I would like to see palliative care principles become the default in medicine, rather than being some special kind of approach that you have to ask for, or qualify for. Dr. Muriel Gillick recently wrote a good post about this here: “Pushing Palliative Care”

      Thanks as always, Dave, for your interest in the podcast and in these issues!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Find It Here

Recent Podcast Episodes

131 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (12.8.22 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

130 – COVID Booster Update for Aging Adults (9.7.22 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

129 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (7.21.22 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

128 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (5.5.22 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

127 – COVID Update for Aging Adults (2.24.22 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

126 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (1.6.22 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

125 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (12.16.21 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

124 – Does Your Aging Parent Need Help?
What to check & how to talk about it

Duration: 29:52

123 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (10.28.21 Edition)

Duration: 1:08:02

122 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (9.9.21 Edition)

Duration: 43:43

121 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (7.29.21 Edition)

Duration: 39:55

120 – Depression in Aging: Diagnosis & Treatment

Duration: 36:25

119 – Update: COVID Vaccination in Aging (5.14.21 Edition)

Duration: 51:54

118 – Updates: COVID Vaccination in Aging (3.26.21 Edition)

Duration: 53:09

117 – Leg Swelling in Aging: What to Know & Do

Duration: 20:53

116 – Interview: Dr. K’s New Book: When Your Aging Parent Needs Help

Duration: 55:58

115 – COVID Vaccination in Aging (12.17.20 Edition)

Duration: 41:40

114 – Coronavirus Updates & Suggestions (11.18.20 Edition)

Duration: 1:41:27

113 – Interview: Urinary Incontinence In Aging

Duration: 1:06:58

112 – Flu Shots for Older Adults in COVID Times: What to Know (2020 Update)

Duration: 40:53

111 – Coronavirus Updates & Suggestions (7.16.20 Edition)

Duration: 1:41:27

110 – Coronavirus Updates & Suggestions (6.11.20 Edition)

Duration: 1:41:27

109 – Interview: Nursing Homes & Other Long-Term Care During COVID Times

Duration: 1:01:00

108 – Live QA: Aging Health in COVID Times

Duration: 1:41:27

107 – Interview: A Guide to Better Medical Care for Families of Aging Adults

Duration: 1:10:34

106 – Coronavirus Updates & Suggestions (3.27.20 Edition)

Duration: 1:41:27

105 – Coronavirus Updates & Suggestions (3.20.20 Edition)

Duration: 1:41:27

104 – Coronavirus Special: Planning to Help Aging Parents (Plus Q&A)

Duration: 1:41:27

103 – Interview: Better Sex in Later Life

Duration: 1:05:53

102 – Interview: The Importance of Grandparents & Intergenerational Connections

Duration: 58:53

101 – Interview: Avoiding Holiday Pitfalls with Aging Parents

Duration: 1:06:37

100 – Interview: Bill Thomas on Ageism, Housing & Changing Aging in 2019

Duration: 1:05:11

099 – Flu Shots for Older Adults: What to Know (2019 Update)

Duration: 40:53

098 – Interview: Medicare Open Enrollment: What to Know & When to Switch

Duration: 58:00

097 – Interview: Common Elder Law Issues When Helping Aging Parents

Duration: 1:00:59

096 – Interview: Paying for Long-Term Care: 2019 Updates

Duration: 1:10:03

095 – Interview: Hearing Aids & Other Hearing Loss Treatment Options

Duration: 59:16

094 – Interview: Hearing Loss in Aging: Why It Matters & Getting Evaluated

Duration: 59:16

093 – Interview: Hiring In-Home Care for Aging in Place: What to Know

Duration: 48:34

092- Interview: Addressing Nighttime Urination & Insomnia in Aging

Duration: 58:21

091 – Interview: Reducing the Risk of Power of Attorney Abuse

Duration: 53:26

090 – More on Avoiding Risky Medications & on Using the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria

Duration: 40:21

089 – Giving Yourself (And Your Family) a Gift on National Healthcare Decisions Day

Duration: 39:14

088 – Interview: Avoiding Inappropriate Prescribing in Aging & What to Know About the Beers Criteria

Duration: 47:31

087- Interview: Coping with Difficult Older Parents

Duration: 1:04:14

086 – Interview: Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems at UCSF

Duration: 1:02:55

085 – Understanding Lab Tests:
4 Common Blood Tests for Older Adults

Duration: 38:24

084 – Interview: Understanding White Matter Changes in the Aging Brain

Duration: 1:02:56

083 – Interview: Disrupting Dementia and Creating Dementia-Friendly Communities

Duration: 1:00:19

082- Interview: Bill Thomas on Housing & Communities as Engines of Independence in Aging

Duration: 1:05:11

081 – Interview: How to Plan Ahead for Your Later Years

Duration: 51:57

080 – Interview: Smartwatches as Medical Alert Devices
(What to Know & How to Choose)

Duration: 1:01:31

079 – QA: Advice for Older Parents Frustrated by Their Family’s Concerns

Duration: 30:14

078 – Interview: The Biology of Aging & Longevity

Duration: 1:18:57

077 – Interview: Making Advance Care Planning Easier Through PREPARE

Duration: 51:20

076 – Flu Shots for Older Adults: What to Know (2018 Update)

Duration: 40:53

075 – Preventing Falls: 4 Approaches to Ask Your Doctor About

Duration: 27:19

074 – Interview: How the Village Model Supports Aging in Place & Community

Duration: 1:01:36

073 – Anticholinergic Medications & Protecting Brain Health

Duration: 27:18

072 – Cognitive Aging: How Memory & Thinking Change as One Gets Older

Duration: 47:04

071 – Interview: How Estimating Life Expectancy Helps Older Adults Get Better Care

Duration: 1:06:44

070 – Interview: Addressing & Preventing Financial Exploitation in Aging

Duration: 1:14:38

069 – Evaluating Memory & Thinking Problems:
10 Causes & 10 Things to Check

Duration: 46:12

068 – Interview: Putting Older Adults at the Center of Technology Conversations

Duration: 53:39

067 – Interview: Managing Difficult Alzheimer’s Behaviors Without Medications

Duration: 1:01:06

066 – Interview: Addressing Potential Self-Neglect in Older Adults

Duration: 52:10

065 – Reconsidering “Successful Aging”

Duration: 24:26

064 – What to Know About Constipation & Laxatives

Duration: 52:20

063 – Giving Yourself (And Your Family) a Gift on National Healthcare Decisions Day

Duration: 39:14

062 – Interview: Preventing Hospital Delirium & Maintaining Brain Health

Duration: 57:35

061 – Interview: Using Technology to Balance Safety & Autonomy in Dementia

Duration: 34:27

060 – Interview: Negotiating Family Caregiving Expectations After Hospitalization

Duration: 1:10:30

059 – Interview: Long-Term Care Insurance & Financing Late-Life Care Needs

Duration: 1:10:40

058 – Avoiding Missed Flu in Older Adults

Duration: 43:03

057 – How to Manage Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Better Brain Health

Duration: 51:04

056 – Top 10 Checklist for Better Health This Year

Duration: 34:33

055 – Interview: Bill Thomas on Ageism & Innovations to Improve Aging

Duration: 48:16

054 – How to Make Difficult Decisions Easier:
Using Goals of Care & Weighing Benefits vs Burdens

Duration: 43:22

053 – Interview: Addressing Loneliness in Aging

Duration: 41:24

052 – Maintaining Mobility & Preventing Falls in Aging: Myths & Truths

Duration: 43:37

051 – Interview: Innovations to Help Older Adults & Family Caregivers

Duration: 37:30

050 – Flu Shots for Older Adults: What to Know

Duration: 40:53

049 – Better Primary Care for Older Adults:
the Oak Street Health Story

Duration: 1:04:36

048 – How Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Affects Most Aging Brains

Duration: 40:55

047 – Unintended Weight Loss in Aging

Duration: 28:17

046 – Interview: Deprescribing & Reducing Risky Medications in Aging

Duration: 48:48

045 – HIPAA: Key Basics & 5 FAQs for Family Caregivers

Duration: 42:49

044 – Hospice Medications & What to do if You’re Concerned

Duration: 40:02

043 – How Hospice Helps at the End of Life, & Hospice for Alzheimer’s

Duration: 38:00

042 – Why Healthcare is Flawed & How to Improve It:
The Work of Dr. Lawrence Weed

Duration: 46:55

041 – UTIs and Urine Bacteria in Aging:
How to get the right diagnosis & avoid unneeded antibiotics

Duration: 32:44

040 – Dehydration in Older Adults:
How to Prevent It, Detect It, & Treat It

Duration: 45:48

039 – Interview: Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems

Duration: 38:07

038 – FAQs On “Incompetence” & Losing Decision Capacity

Duration: 41:09

037 – Interview: Using Powers of Attorney to Help Older Adults

Duration: 44:55

036 – Interview: Minimizing Family Conflicts & Supporting Aging Parents

Duration: 1:07:32

035 – Interview: Aging in the Right Place

Duration: 58:32

034 – Preventing Falls: 10 Types of Medication to Reconsider

Duration: 38:13

033 – Safer Treatments for Insomnia in Aging

Duration: 25:20

032 – 5 Top Causes of Sleep Problems in Aging

Duration: 25:20

031 – Choosing the Safest Over-the-Counter Painkiller in Aging

Duration: 26:18

030 – Drugs for Difficult Dementia Behaviors: What to Know

Duration: 33:10

029 – The Healthy Aging Checklist

Duration: 41:52

028 – When Older Parents Resist Help: 4 Tips for Better Talks

Duration: 25:20

027 – Interview: Planning for Aging When Single & Childless

Duration: 28:28

026 – 4 Medications for Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias: FAQs & Tips

Duration: 37:45

025 – Interview: Palliative Care to Live Well with Cancer

Duration: 40:17

024 – Interview: Better Cancer Screening While Aging

Duration: 28:00

023 – Anemia in Aging: 10 Common Causes & What to Ask

Duration: 36:15

022 – QA: Helping a Paranoid Older Parent and Checking Safety

Duration: 46:30

021 – Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Risks, Diagnosis, & Treatment

Duration: 30:45

020 – How to Diagnose & Treat Mild Cognitive Impairment

Duration: 37:17

019 – Interview: How Foundations Are Improving Health & Aging

Duration: 1:11:30

018 – High Blood Pressure Treatment in Older Adults: Research Findings & Practical Tips

Duration: 57:00

017 – Interview: Paying for Long-Term Care & Other Family Caregiving Challenges

Duration: 1:02:00

016 – 3 Reasons You Should Have a Home Blood Pressure Monitor

Duration: 35:00

015 – Interview: Practical Advice for Family Caregivers & Next Step In Care

Duration: 1:10:30

014 – Delirium & Hospital Confusion

Duration: 36:10

013 – Interview: Solving Hard Problems in Helping Aging Parents

Duration: 1:03:53

012 – Q&A: Answers to Your Questions On Aging & Health

Duration: 57:22

011 – Vitamin D: The “Healthy Aging” Dose & FAQs

Duration: 29:08

010 – Interview: Choosing a Wearable Medical Alert System for Older Adults

Duration: 51:30

009 – Q&A: Answers to Your Questions on Helping Older Parents

Duration: 57:22

008 – Interview: Helping Families with Memory Loss: The Care to Plan Online Tool

Duration: 47:00

007 – How a Personal Health Record Helps You Be Proactive

Duration: 27:15

006 – Interview: Surviving Cancer & Better Healthcare Through Being an e-Patient

Duration: 39:37

005 – Interview: Otago & Proven Exercises for Fall Prevention

Duration: 50:00

004 – What to Do If You’re Worried About Falls

Duration: 26:27

003 – Interview: Helping Reluctant Parents Address Memory Concerns

Duration: 45:00

002 – What to Do If You’re Worried About Someone’s Memory

Duration: 26:00

001 – Introducing the Better Health While Aging Podcast

Duration: 26:13

Helpful Info If You’re New to Podcasts

Wondering what a podcast is? Not sure how to listen to the episodes? 

See this post for step-by-step instructions on listening, and answers to FAQs. Includes detailed instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review too!

Disclaimer

The material on this site, including any exchanges in the comments section of the blog, is for informational and educational purposes only.

Any comments Dr. Kernisan may make regarding an individual’s story or comments should not be construed as establishing a physician-patient relationship between Dr. Kernisan and a caregiver, or care recipient.

None of Dr. Kernisan’s website or group information should be considered a substitute for individualized medical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment.

Please see the full Disclaimer for more information.

Please also carefully read our Terms & Conditions of Use, before using this site.

Creative Commons License
This work by Leslie Kernisan MD & Better Health While Aging LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at BetterHealthWhileAging.net.

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

Your privacy is very important to us. Your information will never be sold to anyone, whether you browse the site, sign up for email updates, or register for an event.

Pleae read our complete Privacy Policy for more information and for Dr. Kernisan's financial disclosures.

© 2023 Better Health While Aging, LLC · Terms & Conditions · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Contact Us