Determining the Best Care

Mershon Niesner

Dear Coach,

I’ve read that November is National Hospice/Palliative Care Month and I’m wondering about the difference. My mother is in her 90s and not doing well. Which type of care will be best for her?

Hope you can help.

Signed,

Concerned Daughter

Dear Daughter,

Thank you for acknowledging November as National Hospice/Palliative Care Month. So many people don’t give this type of care a thought until it’s desperately needed for someone they care about. 

I’m sorry to hear your mother isn’t doing well. No doubt she is comforted by having a caring daughter as her advocate. The type of care she will need depends on her situation. Hospice care is for terminally ill patients when treatment is no longer curative during the last six months of life. Palliative care can be employed while the patient is continuing active treatment through different phases of their life-limiting condition. Both provide comfort. Your healthcare professional can help you with your decision. 

A daughter I interviewed for my book Mom’s Gone, Now What? was so positively impacted by the hospice care her mother received that, as an adult, she became a lifelong hospice volunteer and the National Hospice Volunteer of the Year. I tell you this story to illustrate how hospice and palliative care frequently make a profound, positive difference in the lives of families and patients.

Mershon Niesner is a Certified Life Coach and author. Her books are locally available at Sunshine Booksellers. To see more about her books, her appearances, and to subscribe to her newsletter, visit www.mershonniesner.com.

Email your coaching questions to askcoachmershon@gmail.com. Your identity will be confidential.