What Would It Take To Fulfill Your Last Wish?

On Sunday evening in August 2017, 85+ year old terminally ill Corinne was asked if she had any last wish which will give her immense joy.

While dying with dignity still remains a priority for most people in the world, some patients near the end of their lives, may have unconventional wishes such as holding their art exhibition, leaving little love notes hidden around the house, drinking their favorite beer or wine for the last time, or see their furry friend one last time.

Corinne wanted to enjoy a warm bath, followed by a change of clothes and wanted to star in her own personal music video.

Initially, Inspiration Hospice caregivers thought she could do a catwalk in a wheelchair, but she wanted to do a full music video. Her favorite artist was “Cher”.

The hospice staff brought Corinne to one of the popular music video locations in America and gave her a chance to shoot her own personal music video with her favorite Cher song in the background.

“The joy that Corinne was experiencing while shooting the video cannot be explained in words,” said one of the caregivers at Inspiration Hospice.

Corinne passed away peacefully a week later in the comfort of her home while receiving the best hospice care.

At Inspiration Hospice, we always help terminally ill patients fulfill their last wish. We always ask our patients what they would like to do and accomplish, if they have one wish which can be granted. We call it the Magical Day!

We have helped thousands of people fulfill their last wish.

Have someone ever asked you, “What would it take to fulfill your last wish?”

Inspiration Hospice offer provides reliable, trustworthy, and high-quality home health & hospice care. We help patients and families receive care and services when they need them the most.

We live in a society that seems to deny death or view death as a failure.

Conversations about death and dying are difficult. Bringing up the topic of dying can trigger a range of emotions, interpretations, and concerns.

It is important to ask your aging loved ones what their end-of-life treatment goals are. While every family is different, it is important to come up with creative ways to deal with this ignored yet important conversation to avoid problems in the future.

While there is no foolproof guide to start the conversation about death and dying, healthcare professionals can make it easy to start the conversation. Talking about death with your aging loved one can be emotionally draining and some conflicts may arise. However, it is important to keep these conversations going as your loved one’s age.

Many patients choose not to seek additional medical treatment and want to focus on comfort care.

However, a majority of patients living with a chronic condition like cancer, respiratory disease or heart disease die in an institutional setting. Patients often avoid talking about end-of-life care with their families to protect them from sorrow. However, studies have shown that discussions between family members can greatly improve end-of-life planning and decision-making.

Patients who discuss their end-of-life options such as hospice care with their families have shorter stays in the institutional settings and have more time to die comfortably while spending time with their families. Hospice caregivers also prepare the patient and his loved ones to deal with the death and the family members experience lower rates of depression and anxiety after the passing away of the patient.

However, if the discussion about end-of-life care is neglected, it can result in longer hospital stays, poorer life quality, and prolong the life-sustaining treatment against the patient’s preferences.

The last wishes of the dying often have one thing in common; it revolves around simple pleasures of life.

It has often been observed that people who are terminally ill often know they are dying in a few days. Patients instinctively know how much time they have left and begun making the final preparations.

Moreover, for people who are dying, comfort and simple pleasures are among the top priorities. As long as they are comfortable and have their last wishes fulfilled, they feel calm and blissful in the last few hours leading up to their deaths.

However, not everyone gets a chance to fulfill their last wish or die comfortably. Many people living with a terminal illness often spend their final days in the chaos of a hospital setting, rather than dying peacefully at their home.

The reasons for this are many.

• Sometimes families don’t understand that the patient is eligible for hospice care
• The families delay asking for hospice care as the disease progress quickly than expected
• They lack appropriate support from social service
• They do not have adequate information about hospice care

Therefore, it is important to communicate and know your options better before reaching out to a hospital. Having a plan in place makes it easy for families to fulfill the last wishes of the dying person. Whether they want to die comfortably at home or enjoy a glass of wine, hospice care providers can help with these requests from the comfort of the patient’s home.

For a majority of people who are dying, home is the sweetest place. They always wish to spend the last days of their lives in the comfort and familiarity of their home.

At Inspiration Hospice, we understand that the last wish of a dying person is to breathe their last at home. Home is the place where they have spent a huge part of their life. The familiarity and intimate environment of the home make them feel more comfortable and peaceful.

“Hospice is a program that provides comfort and supportive care for terminally ill patients and their families, either directly or on a consulting basis with the patient’s physician”

Aging seniors often don’t know about their end-of-life care options and are eager to learn more. At Inspiration Hospice, we believe that nothing is more important than delivering compassionate and loving care to our patients and families.

The hospice team consists of many professionals including nurses, hospice aides, social workers, therapists, chaplains, bereavement coordinators, a hospice medical director, as well as specially-trained volunteers. This professional team works together to support individuals and their families during their last months of life.

The team works closely with the patient, their family, and the patient’s personal physician to develop an individualized plan of care that helps the patient meet their goals for living the last months of their life in the best way possible.

We are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. In the middle of the night or weekend, patients and families may call to talk with a hospice team member. If needed, the hospice staff member will visit the patient at their residence.

Remember, hospice is free & reduces the financial burden on the family members. Hospice care services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance plans. Inspiration Hospice provides the same high quality of care to everyone regardless of insurance or financial means.