Making decisions about end-of-life care is difficult for patients stricken with ALS. Let All Caring Hospice help you and your loved ones determine when the time is right to ask about hospice care for a patient with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
ALS is one of several chronic degenerative conditions. Other conditions include Parkinson’s, Muscular Dystrophy, Myasthenia Gravis or Multiple Sclerosis.
The ever-changing dynamic of emotions and feelings of uncertainty, as well as the complexity of treatment and care options, makes it challenging to choose the best course of action for you and your family. The good news is that quality hospice care and palliative care services are widely available for ALS patients and offer comprehensive pain and symptom management along with end-of-life care that ALS patients and their families need.
If you are reading the information on this web page, chances are you, or someone you love, is facing a difficult physical and emotional battle against ALS. Your search for answers to important questions about care and support for your loved one becomes even more difficult when you face decisions about nutrition, hydration, feeding tubes or breathing machines. All Caring Hospice recognizes the emotional toll and immense courage it takes to help a loved one who is suffering from a terminal illness like ALS. Call 513-755-0232 to see if hospice care is an appropriate option.
When is it time to discuss hospice care for a patient with ALS?
It can be difficult to determine when an ALS patient should be considered for hospice care. This is due to the slow decline of a patient with ALS over months and years. On average a hospice patient is thought to have six months or less to live. An ALS patient would benefit from hospice care when the decision for the patient to stop using feeding tubes or breathing machines is made.
A clinical determination of an ALS patient’s life expectancy can only be made by a doctor. However, the following is a list of ALS end of life symptoms. These symptoms may be a sign that the ALS case has progressed and that the patient and their loved ones would both benefit from the services offered by hospice care.