Having an elderly family member in extremely poor health is difficult to deal with on many levels. Add to that the threat that she’ll pass away too soon and any changes to her current care plans can feel suspect. This is often why myths about elder care related to hospice flourish.

Hospice Care Is When There’s Nothing Left to Do

Just because you and your elderly family member have decided to go with this type of care, that doesn’t mean that you’ve exhausted every other treatment option available to her. In some cases, aging adults simply don’t want to continue specific treatments any longer. This isn’t about giving up hope; it’s about making sure that your senior family member is taken care of as well as possible.

You’re Starting Over with a New Set of Doctors

Many people believe that when an elderly family member makes the shift to hospice, she must start completely over with a new set of doctors who don’t know or understand her health history. What really happens is that your aging adults current doctors work closely with hospice doctors in order to make sure that your elderly family member has the best care possible for her current wants and needs.

Family Members Aren’t a Part of the Equation

Another common misconception is that family members are kept out of the hospice equation. In actuality, family members are an essential part of the care process. Also, hospice care can offer bereavement counseling to everyone affected by your elderly family member’s situation. Having everyone on board with your aging adult’s care helps her to get the care that she needs.

Elder Care with Hospice Hastens an Aging Family Member’s Death

Because so many aging adults enter this type of care when they are at the end of their lives, the belief tends to be that this type of care hurries everything along. This is not the case at all. Everything about hospice care involves keeping your elderly family member as comfortable as possible while providing for emotional needs as well.

The more that you learn about elder care and hospice, the more you can do to educate your friends and family members about what it really means.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering elder care in New Jersey, please contact the caring staff at Serenity Hospice today. Call (609) 227-2400