INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed Dr. David Wilcox and Eva Wilcox.
When most people think of hospice they think of the angel of death. You have to totally give up and hospice will help you die. This is not necessarily the case. Hospice is defined as a program that gives special care to people who are near the end of life and have stopped treatment to cure or control their disease. Hospice offers physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support for patients and their families. To obtain a hospice consultation you have to be expected to live 6 months or less.
Recently we had to use hospice services for a loved one. We are no strangers to hospice as my wife spent 6 years of her nursing career as a homecare-based hospice nurse. The thing that many Americans fail to realize is that when a patient is on hospice services hospice takes over the patient’s care. The hospice practitioner prescribes the medications for symptom management at no cost to the patient or their family.
Hospice also does home visits using patient care technicians, nurses, care management, and providers. This team is available to the patient and their family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are there to support the patient and their family through this transition and make them as comfortable as possible.
Just as you would go to see a gastroenterologist for any gastrointestinal issues because this is their specialty, the hospice team’s specialty is making the patient and their family comfortable during the dying process. Hospice is a unique specialty.
In Western society, we often find it hard to give up. We are often encouraged to fight to the last minute. Many people miss out on an opportunity to aid a loved one to transition comfortably because they feel it’s a form of quitting.
President Jimmy Carter has been on hospice services for over a year. He simply wanted to stop any aggressive treatment for his medical condition and elected to use hospice services. 13.4 percent of patients actually survive longer than 6 months. Also, a little known fact is that hospice discharges 15 percent of their patients who actually get better.
75 percent of hospice patients are able to die at home instead of in a cold noisy hospital room surrounded by medical staff. Hospice patients die at home surrounded by their loved ones, in their beds. This was the case with our loved one who recently passed away. We are a family of nurses. My bonus daughter assumed primary care is also a nurse and our loved one received the best care possible.
While any type of loss is very hard we have to remember that the person going through this transition has a rougher journey. Hospice specializes in helping people die with dignity in their home environment and even offer bereavement services for the family members.
Both my wife and I have worked in hospital settings and we have seen hard deaths where individuals struggled and often died in pain. While working for hospice my wife said she saw some beautiful peaceful deaths. Next time someone you love is faced with a terminal situation remember to consider hospice services as comfortable peaceful deaths are their specialty.
You can purchase Dr. David Wilcox’s book How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival on Amazon at the following link https://lnkd.in/diZKYC2
Follow me on social media at:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Dr-David-Wilcox-102834559130574
Twitter – https://twitter.com/DrDavidHelps
You Tube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyYHs6ttrJ5l6-kUc-lEP9Q
According to a statement, “Healthcare is complex and that is not an accident. It is complex by the healthcare entities vying for your healthcare dollars. Covid has exacerbated the American Healthcare System, which was fragile, to begin with. Many clinicians are leaving healthcare due to burnout. How does the average layperson navigate the complexities of the American Healthcare System where a prescription could cost you $5 at one pharmacy and $500 at another? What does the average layperson do when their insurance company rejects their claim? Proactive education of the American Healthcare System prior to accessing it is the key to safely navigating the healthcare system. Until now, little information has been available to provide the layperson with the knowledge they need to be a better partner in their health care. Dr. David Wilcox’s book How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival” is a game-changer and will provide you with the skill set you need to navigate the American Healthcare System.
Website: https://drdavidwilcox.com/
Dr. Wilcox is a Doctorate prepared nurse who also holds a Masters in Health Administration and is Board Certified in Nursing Informatics. Dr. Wilcox has 28 years of healthcare experience in which he worked as a bedside nurse, hospital administrator, and in healthcare information technology which has helped him to develop his unique perspective on the American Healthcare System.
Dr. Wilcox is the author of the book “How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival (2021)” available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578878364
Dr. Wilcox currently resides in North Carolina with his wife and their three dogs.
Dr Wilcox’s website: Dr. David Wilcox – Healthcare, American Healthcare System (drdavidwilcox.com)
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