A life-limiting illness is an incurable chronic disease or condition that no longer respond to curative treatments. Examples of a life-limiting illness include:

• Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia
• Stroke
• ALS
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Heart Disease
• Pulmonary Disease
• Liver Disease
• End-stage Renal Disease
• AIDS
• Cancer

A life limiting illness, coupled with symptoms below, could be indicators of decline and hospice eligibility:

• Frequent hospitalizations, ER visits, or visits to the physician within the last six months
• Progressive weight loss (with consideration to weight gain factors such as edema, when applicable)
• Decreasing appetite
• Dysphagia or difficulty swallowing
• Increased weakness or fatigue
• Decline in cognitive status or functional abilities
• Increasing assistance needed with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
• Increasing pain or increasing difficulty in controlling pain
• Increasing dyspnea or shortness of breath
• Oxygen dependency
• Reoccurring infections
• Ascites
• Increased nausea and/or vomiting that is difficult to control
• A desire to forgo future hospitalizations
• A request to discontinue treatment
• Recurrent or frequent infections
• Skin breakdown
• A specific decline in condition

If you or a loved one has a life-limiting illness and are experiencing any of the above symptoms, consider speaking to your physician about hospice services. You can also call Hospice of the Midwest, and one of our team members can help guide you through the process of requesting hospice through your physician.