Articles & Education

Caring for a loved one with a serious illness can be emotionally overwhelming and physically demanding. Caregivers often face a delicate balance between managing their loved one's symptoms, addressing emotional needs, and coordinating medical care, all while navigating their feelings of stress and exhaustion. In such challenging times, it’s crucial to understand the types of care available, specifically hospice and palliative care. Knowing the differences ...

Hospice care is a compassionate, patient-centered approach designed to provide comfort and support to individuals in the final stages of a terminal illness. The decision to consider hospice care for a loved one is never easy, and understanding when the right time to make this decision can help alleviate some of the emotional burden. In this blog post, we'll explore what hospice care entails, ...

Our New Life With Alzheimer’s by Kaye Baker I’m sitting with my mom today and again wondering what I can possibly ask her that would invoke a conversation. Conversation: Webster defines it as “the informal exchange of ideas by spoken words.” Hummm, I guess we still do have conversations. They are just different now. They include the “informal exchange of ...

When facing a serious illness, individuals and their families often find themselves grappling with difficult decisions regarding medical treatment and quality of life.

Grief can be a challenging process for those who have experienced loss. Here are some reasons why grief counseling can be helpful for healing.

Grief can be a challenging process for those who have experienced loss. Here are some reasons why grief counseling can be helpful for healing.

Grief can be a challenging process for those who have experienced loss. Here are some reasons why grief counseling can be helpful for healing.

Deciding how to best provide care for elderly parents can be challenging, but here are some questions to ask about long-term care to make the decisions easier.

Knowing what to do when it is time to make end-of-life decisions is extremely important. Here are a few things to keep in mind, whether for you or a loved one.

For those with serious illnesses, proper pain management can be just as important as treatment. Read on to see how palliative care can provide relief.

If you’re considering hospice, there are benefits of using Medicare-certified hospice. Read on to learn about Medicare benefits and eligibility for hospice care.

End-of life decisions are never easy, but Wings of Hope is here to help. Read on to see whether inpatient or outpatient hospice care is the right fit.

Talking about comfort care options with a loved one who is near the end of life can be difficult. Here are some tips for starting the conversation.

As a provider of hospice care in the Phoenix area, Wings of Hope has compiled this guide on finding quality hospice comfort care for your loved ones.

As you and your family take special care of your loved one who is at the end of their life, you might have many questions for your doctors and insurance company. One of those questions is about hospice care. Bringing your loved one for special in-home palliative care helps to relieve their symptoms and give them and your family social, emotional, and spiritual support. Hospice ...

Hospice care is a special kind of care given to people who are nearing the end of life. The goal of hospice care isn't to make the patient less sick but, rather, to provide comfort to the patient and ensure their quality of life is as good as it can be. Deciding when to transfer a loved one to hospice care is one of the ...

Hospice respite care is an integral component of hospice care, the form of health care that primarily focuses on the palliation – or relief of symptoms and suffering – of terminally ill patients with an aim to address and attend to emotional and spiritual needs near the end-of-life experience. Respite care is a short-term relief plan that aids in giving in-home hospice caregivers a much-needed ...

Birth and death are two unavoidable facts of life, and just as practices and societal norms surrounding birth have changed over the years, so have those surrounding death. For instance, in the 1960s and ‘70s, expectant mothers began exercising new ideas. Instead of the traditional situation where a father would await the birth of his child from a separate room, many families started opting to ...

When it comes to health care today, choice plays an incredibly important role. This is particularly true when dealing with end-of-life care and situations in which mental and physical deterioration can hamper an individual’s ability to express their preferences. Advance care planning, otherwise referred to as ACP, isn’t just something that the elderly need to concern themselves with. While it serves a strong purpose ...

Hospice is a special form of care with attention to quality of life for those individuals facing life’s limitation. The central philosophy of hospice is to accept life’s end and to create comfort for its inevitable approach. Hospice’s role is not in quickening or postponing death but in treating the person with care and affirmation, granting dignity and quality to final days and difficult transitions ...

Home Health Matters: A Look at In-Home Hospice Care It used to be the case that families looked outside the home in order to provide proper care for a loved one. This often meant a nursing home or assisted living facility environment. Today, in-home hospice care is a viable alternative option for many that enables a loved one to receive care in their own ...

Caregiving for a sick, elderly or disabled person can be both physically and mentally exhausting. In fact, it’s a major reason why burnout often happens to those tasked with providing and managing a loved one’s long-term care. To provide much-needed relief, respite care is a form of temporary aid that can support the primary caregiver. Respite care supplies assistance to give the primary caregiver ...

The achievements of modern medicine have extended both the length and quality of our lifespans. For many people, however, advancing age brings a growing constellation of health conditions, which are met with a battery of treatments and medications to help keep them at bay. Treatment can take on a momentum of its own, with a medical team responding to fight off every new condition, ...

Be a Hospice Volunteer Hospice Volunteers often fill the gaps between a patient’s loved one and professional caregivers. Our Hospice Volunteers provide companionship, socialization and emotional support. While Volunteers usually visit patients at a scheduled time, they are also flexible as a patient’s needs or desires change. Wings of Hope Hospice Volunteers have several ways to give time, including: Direct Patient Volunteers These Volunteers ...

Just as important as the Hospice and Palliative Care services we offer is the way our patients and families are treated while on our service. We are here to guide and to give hope for a peaceful and comfortable time. Our goal is to facilitate the highest quality of life possible. To do that, we offer multiple levels of care. Wings of Hope Hospice ...

Navigating the illness of a loved one is never an easy thing. While death is an inevitability in this world and to be expected in life, it is an experience that can be extremely taxing, physically, spiritually and emotionally on a family or those that give care. Palliative care and hospice are often referred to interchangeably. However, there are key differences. While both services ...

For those who find themselves in the position of being a full-time caregiver, it is not uncommon to become so overwhelmed by your responsibilities that you begin to neglect yourself. This often leads to exhaustion, stress, weight gain or weight loss, and even illness. When you begin to neglect yourself, the quality of care that you can offer to your loved one also suffers. ...

With any loss, the process of grief is expected. However, the degree to which we feel grief is largely dependent on how close we were to the individual who has passed on, and our personal experience in dealing with grief in the past. When it comes to family losses, it is often difficult for people to grieve because everybody around them is experiencing different levels ...

Many individuals shy away from the idea of hospice care, fearing undue expense. However, the truth is that hospice care is fully covered under Medicare (Part A). Here at Wings of Hope, we’ve seen far too many families struggle to sustain hospice care alone, not knowing that helping hands are available under their usual insurance coverage. Here are some of the most common questions that we ...

Here at Wings of Hope, we guide individuals and their families through the end of life process each day. As we work together with patients and caretakers, we’ve learned that there are some essential conversations that get skipped all too often. A conversation about end of life decisions can be difficult to start. However, it’s a vital component of effective hospice care. We can’t always control ...

Up to 50% of hospice patients choose to receive care at home. This can better nurture important time with loved ones, lend a feeling of familiarity and comfort, and reinforce purpose and joy during this important final phase of life. However, families are often unprepared for the work that at-home hospice care calls for. Here at Wings of Hope, we help patients and their ...

Many mistakenly believe that palliative treatment and hospice care are synonyms. Subsequently, they often miss out on the benefits that palliative care can bring them. The truth is that palliative care can help patients in any stage of treatment, even if they’re nowhere close to needing end of life care. What Is Palliative Care? Palliative care is simply a treatment plan that addresses side effects or ...

At-home hospice care is increasingly the norm -- and, for many families, the preference -- for comfort care and symptom management. However, for some patients, inpatient hospice care may be necessary or even preferable. As you evaluate hospice care options for yourself or a loved one, understanding what to expect from inpatient hospice care will make it easier to determine whether it is the appropriate ...

Thinking about end of life care can be intimidating. However, medical experts recommend that adults of all ages and health levels research their medical treatment options in the event of a life-threatening injury or illness, and prepare advance directives documenting their preferred treatment decisions. For those who know they will likely face decisions about end of life care sooner rather than later, advance directives are especially ...

The subject of palliative medicine can be confusing. Many times, families who are searching for palliative care providers are already under extreme stress caused by unexpected illness in a family member. This has led to many misconceptions about what palliative medicine is and who it is right for. This explanation will help clarify what palliative medicine is and what your options for care are. ...

Despite the fact that you have gotten to know your parents over the course of your entire life, there are many things they may keep private from you. However, if you hope to provide the highest quality of elderly care in their later years, you must ask a few questions to find what things are most important to them. This is especially important if ...

To learn more about Medicare hospice eligibility and benefits, contact Wings of Hope today. We can give you an overview of what types of care are covered and how you or your loved one can apply to start receiving benefits right away.

When a patient has been diagnosed with a terminal illness the next step may feel overwhelming. While many patients want to seek additional treatment or second opinions, some patients prefer to choose hospice comfort care instead. Some hospitals do offer hospice care on-site, but most often patients seek comfort care at a hospice or other outside facility.

Planning for family hospice care is much less stressful when done in advance of a medical emergency. The best place to start is by determining eligibility for hospice services based upon current income.

Hospice care can encompass a wide range of services for the patient, and will likely look different depending on the specific illnesses involved. You will want to be sure when contacting hospice care providers that your loved one will be receiving the most complete hospice care available. Here are three of the most important aspects of finding comprehensive care:

For more information about what is hospice care and the benefits of care outside of a hospital setting, we invite you to contact Wings of Hope today. Our patient care specialists are here to answer questions and guide you through the application process if your loved one is seeking hospice care.

End of Life decisions are difficult for anyone to make, but you can take steps today to make them easier. If you can approach these decisions with a clear head in advance, your family is more likely to feel confident that they can help you through any healthcare crisis. Of course, you should also be sure to consult with your family members in advance so ...

Currently, the vast majority of hospice patients are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. In order to qualify for hospice treatment through these programs you must meet a minimum set of hospice criteria set forth by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. These criteria are broken up into general s and disease-specific guidelines to better determine whether or not hospice care is appropriate. ...

With any loss, the process of grief is expected. However, the degree to which we feel grief is largely dependent on how close we were to the individual who has passed on, and our personal experience in dealing with grief in the past. When it comes to family losses, it is often difficult for people to grieve because everybody around them is experiencing different ...

There is a lot of confusion about what hospice care is and who it is for. Many people think hospice care is only utilized when someone is near death. This false assumption is one that many in the hospice industry are working to overcome. In truth, hospice care is a specialized type of care that is patient-focused and driven by a desire to produce the ...

There are many reasons families turn to in-patient hospice care for their loved ones. In-patient care often comes with additional peace of mind and support that at home care may not offer. For those who are concerned about their ability to care for a loved one day in and day out, in-patient care can be the best possible solution for everybody involved. ...

There are a lot of decisions to be made when hospice care becomes a necessity and often very little time to weigh all the pros and cons before you choose. If you’re feeling rushed in making the decision between in-home care and a more formal in-patient facility, turn to your hospice agency for help. While in-home care and in-patient facilities both have their perks, ...

The cost of hospice care has been something of a mystery to the general public. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what hospice care covers, who pays for it, and whether or not it is comparable in price to other treatment options. Here are a few things you need to consider as you compare the cost of hospice care for your ...

Now that our lifespans have been extended by medical advancements and we are growing more aware of quality of life issues as we age, hospice care at home has become far more prevalent. There are many reasons people choose to receive hospice care at home instead of in a permanent facility.

Respite care comes as a reprieve to many caregivers because it provides the caregiver  short-term breaks that immensely helps on both a physical and emotional level.

Although 7 out of 10 Americans wish to spend the last days of their life at home, there are circumstances when receiving hospice care away from home is inevitable. In instances of severe pain and other life-threatening symptoms, home becomes far from the perfect location to receive hospice care. This is where inpatient hospice care comes into the equation.

An important, yet less recognized area of the healthcare system in America is hospice service. Devoted to helping patients who are suffering from terminal illnesses and those approaching the end of their lives, hospice services don’t get the love they deserve.

Not too long ago, many families felt as if they had to put their loved ones in a nursing home or assisted living facility in order to get quality healthcare. Thanks to quality home health care services provided by facilities like Wings of Hope, more people have embraced the thought of enrolling their loved ones in home health care. Instead of moving a loved ...

Although the number of Americans using hospice care and end of life services has gone a notch higher in the recent past, there are still millions of people who are skeptical about signing up for end of life care because of the cost. What is the real cost of hospice care? Who pays for end of life care? Can I afford hospice care? These ...

When looking for the best care for your aging or ailing loved one, you will notice each facility provides different levels of care. These levels include assisted living, supported independent living, and continuous care. Understanding what the different levels of care mean will help you make the perfect choice. Many people confuse continuous care with the other levels of care. This article is dedicated ...

The conversation about when to switch your loved one’s plan of care from curative to palliative treatment can be full of emotion. The news that the illness your loved one has is not curable will be devastating, but this does not mean the end of the road for your loved ones.  Many people fail to consider palliative care as an option due to the ...

Advanced care planning involves making decisions about the type of care you would like to receive if you are unable to make the decisions and communicate effectively because of a medical condition or old age. Advance care planning involves fully understanding the types of decisions that may need to be made, considering the possible decisions ahead of time, and then making your preferences clear ...

One of the main reasons many patients and families avoid hospice Medicare services is because they often deem hospice care as a sign of life coming to an end and a ‘polite’ send off by family members. Many people believe that hospice care means that they have lost the fight against the ailment they are suffering from. However, this is not the case. Under ...

Taking care of a terminally ill or debilitated loved one can be emotionally and physically draining. The need to take care of a relative or a friend who struggles to manage simple day to day activities is daunting and can really take a toll on the quality of life you are leading. This is why you should consider delegating the duties of watching over ...

When hospice care is recommended for a loved one it is always a traumatic time. Emotions can intrude on the most stoic of persons and tempers can easily.  These are stress-related reactions. In the end, there are practical, and difficult decisions that must be made. None of these decisions is more immediately important than where your loved one chooses to spend their last days. Will it ...

Pain management encompasses more than meets the eye. For those who have never experienced chronic or severe pain, it can be hard to understand why pain management requires so much study and care. The fact is there are many different sources of pain, and pain can be expressed in the body in many different ways. When patients seek palliative care, they are placed in the ...

For patients with serious illnesses, pain can be a debilitating and overwhelming part of any day. In fact, many patients spend the bulk of their day trying to fend off the pain they are feeling. Traditional treatment facilities often limit patient options when it comes to pain management, only treating the illness itself, but not providing relief from the pain in the mean time. That’s ...

It’s no secret that cancer patients have a tough road ahead of them. Many times, the treatments can seriously deteriorate quality of life for a period of time. Patients who are faced with this struggle frequently come to palliative care facilities when they are no longer able to manage the symptoms of the illness and the side effects of the treatment on their own. ...

Emotionally, it's incredibly difficult and challenging when a loved one is coming to the end of their life. You want to make sure they are as comfortable as possible and will receive the end-of-life care that they need. This is why it's important to consider hospice family care. Following are a few of the benefits when choosing Wings of Hope family hospice care service: ...