COPD Hospice für COPD im Spätstadium

Zu sehen, wie ein geliebter Mensch mit COPD im Spätstadium lebt, kann einem das Herz brechen. Wenn Sie als Pflegeperson mit ansehen müssen, wie der Betroffene mit dem Atmen ringt und mit der Müdigkeit bei alltäglichen Aufgaben kämpft, fühlen Sie sich vielleicht hilflos und hoffnungslos

But there are resources that can ease your loved one’s suffering, which can bring you more peace as a caregiver. COPD hospice care is an excellent option that can help your loved one and your family cope with this devastating lung condition.

Read on to learn more about how hospice care can help manage late-stage COPD symptoms, who is eligible, and how the many services that hospice offers can benefit your family.

Was ist COPD im Spätstadium?

COPD im Spätstadium ist das Endstadium der chronisch-obstruktiven LungenerkrankungEine Erkrankung, bei der der Luftstrom in und aus der Lunge behindert wird. Die Krankheit ist durch eine Entzündung des Lungengewebes gekennzeichnet, die das Atmen erschwert. COPD ist progressiv, d. h. die Symptome verschlimmern sich mit der Zeit.

Wenn die COPD das Endstadium erreicht, werden die Symptome sehr schwerwiegend. Sie können umfassen:

• Ständiges Keuchen
• Erhebliche Probleme beim Luftholen
• Ein knisterndes Geräusch beim Atmen
• Häufige Lungeninfektionen
• Schwierigkeiten beim Schlucken und Essen
• Extreme Müdigkeit
• Verwirrung oder Gedächtnisprobleme aufgrund von Sauerstoffmangel.

Diese Symptome können die Aktivität stark einschränken, auch beim Gehen und bei Routineaufgaben wie Baden und Anziehen.

Was ist Hospice ?

Hospice care is specialized health care for people dying from terminal illnesses, including late-stage COPD. During COPD hospice, your loved one is cared for by a team of specially trained nurses, doctors, social workers, and other specialists to ease symptoms and provide comfort at the end of life.

How COPD Hospice Care Can Help Ease Symptoms

One of the main goals of COPD end-of-life care is to relieve symptoms so your loved one can be comfortable in their final days, weeks, and months of life. Your loved one’s COPD hospice team will work with their primary care doctor to ensure a comprehensive care plan that addresses all their symptoms.

Kurzatmigkeit und Atembeschwerden

With late-stage COPD, your loved one may experience constant wheezing and coughing. This can bring up mucus, shortness of breath that takes a long time to recover from, and a rattling noise that’s always present while breathing. A COPD hospice care team provides the following therapies to ease breathing difficulties:

• Sauerstoff-Therapie
• Medikamente
• Atmungsübungen
• Entspannungsstrategien
• Anpassung der Körperhaltung im Schlaf

Umgang mit Schmerzen

Pain is common with late-stage COPD, although the prevalence and severity vary from person to person. If your loved one is experiencing pain, hospice care for COPD offers many solutions to help make them more comfortable. These include pain medications, physical therapy, massage, and relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation.

Hilfe beim Essen und bei der Ernährung

Dysphagia, or trouble swallowing, is common with late-stage COPD. With COPD hospice care, a dietitian will work with your loved one to ensure they’re getting proper nutrition despite swallowing challenges.

Zu den Diätstrategien gehören:

• Essen von kleinen, häufigen Mahlzeiten über den Tag verteilt anstelle von drei großen Mahlzeiten
• Bevorzugung weicher Lebensmittel, die leichter zu kauen und zu schlucken sind
• Erlernen von Atemtechniken, wie z. B. die Lippenatmung, die ihnen helfen kann, die Mahlzeiten zu überstehen.

Abbau von Depressionen und Angstzuständen

Living with a terminal illness like late-stage COPD can bring up a number of difficult emotions. It’s not uncommon for COPD hospice patients to suffer from depression and anxiety. Resources are available to help your loved one cope, including mental health counseling with professionals who are specially trained in end-of-life issues.

Selbsthilfegruppen können Ihren Freund oder Ihr Familienmitglied mit anderen Menschen zusammenbringen, die das Ende ihres Lebens mit einer chronischen Krankheit erleben. So können sie Erfahrungen und Bewältigungsmechanismen in dieser schwierigen Zeit austauschen.

What to Expect From COPD Hospice Care 

In addition to easing symptoms, COPD hospice care offers services to help take care of your loved one’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health, as well as resources for loved ones, including: 

• Hilfe bei der Körperpflege und bei Routineaufgaben, für die Ihr Angehöriger zu erschöpft ist, z. B. beim Baden, Pflegen und Anziehen
• Mobilitätshilfen wie Gehhilfen, Stöcke und ein Rollstuhl 
• Sicherheitsausrüstung, einschließlich Haltegriffen, Handläufen und einem Duschstuhl, um Stürze zu vermeiden
• Zugang zu alternativen Therapien wie Akupunktur, Reiki und Energieheilung
• Geistlicher Beistand durch religiöse Führer
• Juristischer Beistand bei der Erstellung von Vorsorgevollmachten und Patientenverfügungen
• Trauerbegleitung und Zugang zu Selbsthilfegruppen für Angehörige
• Unterstützung bei der Finanzplanung für Ausgaben am Lebensende

Where Can You Receive COPD Hospice Care?

COPD hospice is offered in healthcare facilities like nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice care centers, as well as in the comfort of your own home. The place a person receives hospice care is a personal decision that should be made with the help of your doctor and family.

If you opt for hospice care at home, your loved one’s COPD hospice team will make regular visits to your home.

Hospice Requirements for COPD

The basic COPD Hospice Criteria are:

• Ein Arzt hat festgestellt, dass der Zustand des Patienten unheilbar ist
• Der Patient hat eine geschätzte Lebenserwartung von sechs Monaten oder weniger

Why You Shouldn’t Call 911 During COPD Hospice Care

If you call 911 or take your loved one to the hospital without involving their COPD hospice team, your loved one will be dismissed from hospice care. They’ll only be readmitted when they return from the hospital. Without prior approval, you’ll be fully responsible for all costs relating to the hospital stay, including ER and hospital fees, diagnostic tests, medications, and ambulance charges.

This rule applies to both care in a hospice facility and COPD hospice care at home.

Hospice Care Versus Palliative Care for COPD

The terms “hospice care” and “palliative care” are sometimes used interchangeably. However, these are two distinct types of care, and it’s important to understand the difference.

Palliative care for COPD patients is care that complements medical treatments aimed to stop the progression of the disease. Unlike COPD hospice, palliative care isn’t end-of-life care. Rather, it’s care that supplements medical care in order to improve the quality of someone’s life with a chronic illness. With palliative care, curative treatments are continued.

COPD hospice care is for patients whose doctor has determined that they have six months or less left to live. When entering hospice care, doctors stop medications and therapies meant to stop the progression of the disease. At this time, treatment strategy shifts to COPD end-of-life care. The goal is to make your loved one as comfortable as possible as the disease takes its natural course.

FAQ for COPD Hospice

Here are some frequently asked questions about COPD hospice care.

How Long are Patients in COPD Hospice?

The length of time patients remain in COPD hospice care varies from person to person. It may be days, weeks, or months depending on the severity of their condition. In order to start hospice care, a doctor must state that the patient has six months or less to live.

If your loved one lives beyond six months on COPD hospice care, they can remain in hospice as long as their doctor recertifies that their disease is terminal.

Choosing hospice doesn’t have to be the end of your loved one’s life. Dolores was 82 when she found out her kidneys were failing. She was satisfied that she had lived a long, happy life and decided not to enter dialysis, so she started hospice care. However, she soon discovered that her granddaughter was pregnant.

Dolores decided not to continue with hospice care after all, and instead began dialysis hoping to live long enough to meet her first great-grandchild — a goal she was able to attain. Dolores later re-entered hospice care as her disease continued to progress.

Was sind die Anzeichen für die letzten Tage der COPD?

Zu den Anzeichen der letzten Tage der COPD gehören unregelmäßige Atmung, ein Abfall der Körpertemperatur und des Blutdrucks, vermindertes Wasserlassen, fleckige Haut, unregelmäßiger Puls und Verwirrung oder Desorientierung.

Late Stage COPD: The Sage Family of Companies Can Help

Late-stage COPD symptoms can severely affect both patients and their families. If your loved one’s doctor has determined their condition is terminal, hospice care from the Sage Family of Companies can help ensure their comfort as the end of their life approaches.

With the Sage Family of Companies, you’ll have access to a dedicated team of experienced hospice care professionals, including nurses, doctors, therapists, clergy, and other healthcare specialists. Your loved one will benefit from the comfort, respect, and dignity they deserve as you all move through this difficult time together.

Referenzen

• What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care?, NIH, 2021
• Was ist COPD?, CDC, 2023
• Schmerzberichterstattung von Menschen mit chronisch obstruktiver Lungenerkrankung (COPD): vergleichende Ergebnisse aus der bevölkerungsbasierten HUNT3-Erhebung, BMC Public Health, 2018
• Palliative and end-of-life care for patients with severe COPD, European Respiratory Journal, 2008