HIV and AIDS are severe diseases that must be addressed with appropriate care. According to hiv.gov, roughly 37.9 million people around the world were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2018, 1.7 million of which were children under the age of 15. Of these, 79% were aware that they were infected with the disease. The AIDS epidemic first arose in the United States among the homosexual community during the 1980s and at the time, very little was known about the immunodeficiency virus, which is usually spread through unprotected sexual contact. Thankfully, research from some of the world’s top institutions and medical experts has led to a greater understanding of AIDS. Additionally, AIDs-related deaths have dropped by over 55% since 2004, when the disease was enormously prevalent.
Victims of HIV/AIDS are typically given six months or less to live, so hospice care is often suggested as an option for these individuals. If relatives of AIDS victims decide to stop using feeding tubes, breathing machines and other medical advances, the affected person’s life expectancy can become even shorter.
Here are some of the advantages of hospice care for AIDS patients:
How Hospice Helps
Hospice care is primarily beneficial to AIDS patients because it is designed to attend to reoccurring emergency medical necessities. It also serves to address high viral loads and low CD4 counts that don’t benefit from antiretroviral therapy (ART). In ART, each type of drug stops the disease in various ways. A typical adult person’s CD4 count is 500 to 1,500 per cubic millimeter, according to healthline.com. Hospice care can also significantly lower the probability of hospitalization, as statistics show. A 2001 study by The American Journal of Medicine revealed 24% of hospice residents were hospitalized in their last 30 days of life, compared to 44% of non-hospice residents.
Get The Best Training And Information
Ultimately, it’s vital for AIDS patients and their families to remain as informed as possible about the repercussions of the disease. Most hospice care is intended to provide pain and symptom management in a safe and relaxed environment.
Share The Load With Experienced Providers
It’s not easy to live through a loved one’s AIDS diagnosis, so be sure to reach out for emotional and spiritual support, especially since many hospice care centers offer this service. You will receive the opportunity to participate in meaningful dialogue.
Learn How to Care For Your Loved One During Difficult Times
Being present for your loved one amid his/her medical affliction means not just tending to his/her physical needs but also listening to any concerns this person may have. Open communication can have a greater effect than most people believe.
Teaming up With Harbor Light Hospice Experts
Speak to the experienced professionals at Harbor Light Hospice to learn more about how your loved one with AIDS can benefit from hospice care. Although based in Winfield, Illinois, HLH also serves patients and families based in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.
Hospice care can usually start immediately after a formal request or “referral” is provided. An HLH representative will then visit the patient in question within 48 hours of this referral reception and approval from a physician or physician designate. Self-referrals can be accepted in certain cases. Harbor Light Hospice also offers home visits for when a patient’s relatives considers that HLH’s services are no longer needed.
Given that a person’s immune system weakens by definition when they become affected with HIV or AIDS, victims can frequently also sustain secondary viruses and illnesses like tuberculosis, pneumonia, cryptococcal meningitis, toxoplasmosis (a type of brain infection) and cancer. For this reason, among others, HLH strives to provide top-quality pain and symptom management. Among the other comprehensive care services Harbor Light Hospice offers are skin care and adequate hydration and nutrition. HLH also provides 24/7 on-call support, so your loved one is always taken care of in the event of an emergency. They also offer grief counseling after your loved one passes away and financial support. Fortunately, most Medicare, Medicaid/MediCal and private insurance companies include hospice care services. HLH’s dedication to relieving pain without treating the causes of a disease is known as “palliative care” and should be distinguished from hospice care.
Call Harbor Light Hospice today at (630) 682-3871 or contact them online for more information about their services. You’ll hardly find a more compassionate organization in your area that is as committed to improving you and your sick loved one’s overall quality of life.
