Many Americans delay getting hospice care, if they receive any at all. In fact, Yale University researchers looked into medical records of more than 700 patients and found that only 40 percent took advantage of hospice care during the last year of their lives.

1. Study:
Hospice Comes too Late
for Many Americans
Hospice of the Calumet Area

2. Many Americans delay getting hospice care, if they receive any at all. In fact, Yale University
researchers looked into medical records of more than 700 patients and found that only 40
percent took advantage of hospice care during the last year of their lives.
The median time patients spent in these institutions is less than two weeks. About 34 percent
died or were discharged within seven days of admission, while about 61 percent received
care for only less than a month. As a result, they couldn’t take advantage of hospice care’s
services as much as they could have if they enrolled early.
Reasons for Putting Off Hospice Care
Experts note that families and patients have several reasons for delaying hospice care. A
study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine says many did not enroll because
the patients believed they were not ready for hospice care.
Perceptions also prevailed over their decisions. Some thought that hospice care is reserved
only for one’s last days, while others said enrolling in a hospice is giving up or acknowledging
that a loved one is dying. Some families also waited until the physician declared the
unavailability of treatments before acting. Moreover, some put it off because of issues with
the continuity of care.

3. The quality of care received at a hospice were also deterrents. Some declined it because they
wouldn’t receive their current treatments. Inconsistencies in and confusion over hospice
services, meanwhile, discouraged others.
The Importance of Prompt Hospice Care
Although people have many reasons for putting off hospice care, experts agree that early
admission is vital in increasing one’s quality of life. A study published in the special Death and
Dying issue of the journal JAMA found that end-of-life care is excellent if the patient received
it for more than three days.
Discussions about such options are vital, as well. A study published in the Journal of Clinical
Oncology discovered that cancer patients who talked to their physicians about end-of-life care
were less aggressive during the last month of their lives. These discussions aligned the type
of care with patients’ preferences.
These show that it’s not ideal to put off hospice care. Millions of Americans who would take
advantage of hospice care early would gain months of medical attention, expert care, and
social support, after all.

4. Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-hlth-hospice-too-late-1011-20171011-
story.html
https://www.nhpco.org/press-room/press-releases/research-finds-hospice-comes-too-late-
many
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/advanced-cancer/research/end-of-life-care-
discussions
http://www.hospicecalumet.org
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2955487/