How Do I Know if I Need Help? One of the biggest hurdles many family caregivers face is reaching out for help. Between knowing what to ask, when to ask, and whom to ask – taking such action can be challenging. Whether due to uncertainty, reluctance or refusal, not reaching out for help can eventually cause caregiver burnout – physical, mental or emotional exhaustion that impedes on the … [Read more...]

Losing someone close to you can make you feel sad, lost, alone, and maybe even angry. You greatly miss the person who has died—you want them back. You might have also been so busy with caregiving that it now seems you have nothing to do. This can add to your feelings of loss. This is all part of grieving, a normal reaction to the loss of someone you love. There are many ways to grieve and to … [Read more...]

The vast majority of Americans say what they want at the end of life is to die in their own homes, as comfortable and pain free as possible. The hospice philosophy is about making sure that a patient's experience reflects their wishes.Here are five ways that hospice helps to deliver this: Sugarland Hospices gives you comfort. Hospices are experts at managing life limiting illnesses. The hospice … [Read more...]

It can be overwhelming to be asked to make health care decisions for someone who is dying and no longer able to make his or her own decisions. It is even more difficult if you do not have written or even verbal guidance. How do you decide what type of care is right for someone? Even when you have written documents, some decisions still might not be clear. Two approaches might be useful. One is … [Read more...]

Contact: Debbie Mosbacher 832.410.3192 As the demand for care and services in assisted living and residential care increases, so too does the use of home care, home health, and hospice. But it can be confusing to understand the difference between these providers and the services they offer. Fortunately, the Accredited Hospices of America services provides a clear beakdown of these … [Read more...]

At the end of life, each story is different. Death comes suddenly, or a person lingers, gradually failing. For some older people, the body weakens while the mind stays alert. Others remain physically strong, and cognitive losses take a huge toll. But for everyone, death is inevitable, and each loss is personally felt by those close to the one who has died. End-of-life care is the term used to … [Read more...]

Decades ago, most people died at home, but medical advances have changed that. Today, most Americans are in hospitals or nursing homes at the end of their lives. Some people enter the hospital to get treated for an illness. Some may already be living in a nursing home. Increasingly, people are choosing hospice care at the end of life. There is no "right" place to die. And, of course, where we … [Read more...]

Because of advances in medicine, each of us, as well as our families and friends, may face many decisions about the dying process. As hard as it might be to face the idea of your own death, you might take time to consider how your individual values relate to your idea of a good death. By deciding what end-of-life care best suits your needs when you are healthy, you can help those close to you make … [Read more...]

Immediately following death, nothing has to be done. Take the time you need to start the grieving process. Some people want to stay in the room with the body; others prefer to leave. You might want to have someone make sure the body is lying flat before the joints become stiff and cannot be moved. This rigor mortis begins sometime during the first hours after death. After the death, how long … [Read more...]

November 12, 2015 Contact: Maria Patino 832.408.7999 [email protected] The social worker is an integral member of Accredited Hospices of America team. As trained professionals, our first family upon entering the hospice program. Going forward we represent the individual/family's wishes at every hospice team meeting. At the initial evaluation out goal is to … [Read more...]