Q. My mother, Claire, has Parkinson’s and she’s at the point where she can no longer swallow and will need a feeding tube. She still lives at home with my father, who is having a hard time taking care of her. She has been hospitalized several times in the past few months for falls. Last time we were at the hospital to visit, the head nurse said we should consider hospice for
her.
I’ve heard mixed things about hospice and when the family addressed the subject, we weren’t quite sure if it was the right thing to do, although she is in the advanced stages of her disease. Honestly, we were leaning more towards nursing home care, but saw how expensive it is and how hospice is covered by Medicare and this has helped make our
decision.
The problem is, we can’t find a hospice provider that is able to take care of her. The hospice providers we contacted are all turning patients away and putting people similar to my mother on waiting lists. Please enlighten me on how this could be happening when people like my mother really need the comfort that hospice can provide at the end of her life. We’re thinking that this
is a sign that we should probably revisit the original plan of nursing home care. But it’s so unaffordable. She’d be broke in about a year if we paid for a nursing home care out of pocket in Northern Virginia. Do you have any suggestions for people in our situation? Thanks for your help!
