While Hospice offers care patients with cancer, Hospice also provides quality end-of-life care for many other patients with non-cancer diagnoses such as AIDS, Alzheimer’s, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), adult failure to thrive, cardiovascular disease, renal, liver, or pulmonary disease, MS (multiple sclerosis), Parkinson’s disease, and cerebrovascular accidents.

Predicting a six-month prognosis for non-cancer patients often is difficult, but there are some indicators that help point to a six-month life expectancy or less. The following is a presentation of specific diseases with criteria supporting a terminal stage.

End-Stage Pulmonary Disease
Examples: COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), emphysema, fibrosis
May include some or all of the following symptoms: oxygen dependency, dyspnea at rest, edema, resting tachycardia, increasing cyanosis, escalating involvement of other body systems.

End-Stage Cardiac Disease
Examples: Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, cardiomyopathy, multiple myocardial infarctions
May include some or all of the following symptoms: edema, resting tachycardia, cyanosis, increasing chest pain, prostration, escalating involvement of other body systems.

Creekside Hospice is committed to bridging the gap between those who need hospice care and those who receive it. To refer a patient or to discuss appropriateness of a hospice referral, call 650-7669.

End-Stage Neurological Disease
Examples: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, multiple strokes (CVA), Alzheimer’s disease, trauma/head injury
May include some or all of the following symptoms: inability to communicate, inability to swallow, compromised comprehension, diminished mobility, failure to thrive, increased frequency of TIAs (transient ischemic attacks,), escalating involvement of other body systems.

End-Stage Chronic Illness
Examples: AIDS, chronic renal failure without dialysis, peripheral vascular disease
May include some or all of the following symptoms: failure to thrive, significant changes in functional abilities, significant changes in cognitive abilities, compromised immunological system.

Adult Failure to Thrive
Formerly known as debility or chronic debilitated state
May include some or all of the following symptoms: multi-system failure, severe functional deficit, some degree of central nervous system impairment, multiple, intercurrent co morbidities leading to cumulative frailties, patient/family’s desire for no further aggressive treatment or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.