Hospice Recertification

Every three months, for the first 6 months, we have to go through an evaluation process to determine if Mom is still eligible to remain on Hospice. As odd as it may sound, we were worried that Mom’s condition had not deteriorated enough for her to remain on Hospice. Both sadly and gratefully, I would like to tell you that she has. While I’m sorry that she is sliding, I know that it is inevitable and that we are certainly having to deal with the increasing issues related to that slide. By the same token, Hospice has been such a blessing to us, in regards to Mom’s care, that to have to forego the support and expertise that Hospice brings to the table would make this time much more difficult.

The points on which they judged her decline were twofold; had she lost muscle and body mass and had she lost substantial mental and physical function. She has lost both to a substantial degree. Her leg measurements had decreased enough to substantiate what we already knew, that she has weakened such that she can no longer support her own weight to stand, much less walk. Her arms have weakened enough that we often have to feed her and hold her drink for her. She enjoys the princess treatment, but sometimes she gets frustrated with us when we move too quickly with the next bite… or too slowly!  Most of the functional decline has been laid out in previous posts, so you already know what contributed to that status.

 

That said, we will have to go through the same evaluation process in three more months, then every two months thereafter. If her condition has continued to deteriorate by the end of three more months, then she will have an in home Doctor visit to be sure that all proper care is being afforded her at that point.  

There are other complicating factors in this process, but most are related to the politics of Medicare and the uncertainty that care providers are feeling as a result of the changes and the uncertainties coming from the new healthcare programs. That’s a topic for another time, though… and probably for another venue, too.