Hospice Care in San Miguel

Hospice Care in San Miguel

By Chris McCaskill and Lee Carte

 

Did you know that San Miguel has a hospice? Hospice helps people navigate the treacherous trails of a life-threatening illness. Hospice doctors have expertise in palliative interventions to mitigate pain and discomfort. Hospice has the necessary medical equipment to assure comfort and safety in your home. Hospice care focuses not only on the patient but also the family, friends, and caregivers as part of “the unit of care.”

 

Choosing hospice is not giving up hope but an affirmation of life. It’s deliberately re-focuses the importance of quality over quantity. Hospice patients often improve and feel better, living longer than those who don’t receive hospice care. Reducing emotional and spiritual stress improves the physical health and longevity of many. Choosing hospice care early in an illness is a decision that almost always leads to better outcomes.

 

We have Hospice Care by Mitigare here in San Miguel. It is a team of people who have professional expertise and training in the complexity and management of terminal illnesses. They help families achieve the best quality of life possible for as long as possible. Hospice care is about expert medical care that allows the patient to be alert, pain-free, and comfortable in their own homes. 

 

The hospice team knows how to focus on each person’s individual needs while working to achieve consensus and clear communication within the whole treatment unit. The team includes the medical director, attending doctor, nurse, social worker, and thanatologist. They meet weekly to discuss and coordinate patient care, reviewing progress and plan for the next steps for care. They anticipate and plan for the progression of an illness to reduce surprises and prevent crisis. 

 

One member of Mitigare’s professional team is Martha Hamill, a credentialed thanatologist, bioethicist, and founder of Mitigare Cuidados Paliativos, A.C. Thanatology is the broad study of death and dying from many different perspectives. Hamill helps patients explore their options and make plans according to their personal, spiritual, and ethical beliefs. Spiritual and psychosocial comfort is as much a part of hospice as medical intervention. Hamill explains, “A good death requires attention to more than the medical side of hospice. A good death does not happen by accident. Communication, respect, forgiveness, and love are all essential parts of preparing to die. Addressing spirituality, however the patient may choose to define that, can be an essential part of another person’s end of life preparation. Hospice helps the family accept the inevitability of death with grace and dignity. Achieving peace and resolution with dignity and respect for those you love are among the most important goals of hospice care.” 

 

Hospice Care by Mitigare offers support and in-home hospice for persons with life-threatening illnesses. Mitigare is an authorized nonprofit organization that is accessible to all regardless of capacity to pay. Mitigare offers pain and symptom management as well as provides psychosocial and emotional support to the patient and family. Let’s talk: Call us at 415 111 7637 or write us at contacto@mitigare.org.