Choosing comfort care

With the recent passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush, many have been asking questions about comfort care.

The big difference between comfort care and curative care is that comfort care focuses on treating symptoms while curative care focuses on prolonging life.

“When your told 6 weeks out, 6 months out that you’re terminal and you will be dying, which is the hardest conversation most doctors ever have, then your mindset changes,” says CEO of Hospice of El Paso Jim Paul.

Generally, comfort care is synonymous with hospice care. This type of care can occur either at home or at an inpatient facility. Many people who choose hospice care are suffering from terminal illness and wish to die on their own terms, allowing a natural death.

In some cases, people who choose hospice care may even live longer than those who stay in hospitals for curative care according to a 2010 study. In the study, lung cancer patients who chose hospice care

“It’s something that I truly recommend to other people who are looking for a better quality of life for their loved ones,” says Grace Beltran, her mother decided to choose hospice care when she was terminally ill.

Hospice care is completely covered under Medicare part A. For those who do not have insurance, some non-profit organizations, such as Hospice of El Paso, can cover the costs. In 2012, Medicare paid an average of $151 a day to cover the base cost of hospice care according to a Health Affairs study.