In today’s episode of Help Choose Home, we’re joined by Dr. Fran Hoh, an Advanced Practice Nurse board-certified in hospice and palliative care and the founder and CEO of Palliative Rx. Palliative Rx offers live online programs in elderly health care education for families and patients who have been diagnosed with serious chronic illness, with special attention paid to the needs of families during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dr. Hoh has a robust background in palliative care, geriatrics, and critical care, and brings four decades of experience to her group and one-on-one classes. She is the recipient of a number of awards for her outstanding work in the field, including a Clinical Practice Award and a Geriatric Nurse Exemplar Award from the American Society of Pain Management Nursing.

In this episode we discuss:

• The differences between palliative care and hospice.
• How partnering with a palliative care nurse can empower you and your loved ones to make active decisions about elderly health care.
• The importance of discussing end-of-life wishes with your family as soon as possible.

Below are some highlights from our conversation:

• [1:30] Learn about the mission and offerings of Palliative Rx
• [2:45] Understand what differentiates hospice and palliative care.
• [7:02] Learn why some families are reticent to take full advantage of palliative care.
• [8:07] Learn about Dr. Hoh’s decades of experience in critical care, palliative care, and geriatrics.
• [8:40] Hear about the American culture of silence around end-of-life care, and where we have room for improvement.
• [10:06] Dr. Hoh discusses her experience with palliative care consults and pain consults in nursing homes, and why they’re so important.
• [12:00] Discover how palliative care saves hospitals money and resources, and how insurance companies handle billing for palliative care.
• [14:35] Learn what questions to ask medical professionals to minimize unnecessary procedures and how to weigh the risks and potential benefits of medical treatment.
• [16:55] Dr. Hoh discusses her experience working through the COVID-19 crisis.
• [20:50] Learn the importance of being active in starting conversations with family members and doctors about health care decisions.
• [22:25] Explore the different approaches to making care decisions for your loved ones, and learn why it’s important to make your wishes known as soon as possible.
• [24:32] Discover how to connect with Dr. Hoh and take advantage of palliative care services wherever you are.
• [25:27] Take advantage of national healthcare decision day by having important conversations with your loved ones.

After listening to today’s episode, I think that like me, you’ll come away with a greater understanding and appreciation for the way palliative care meets the needs of and advocates for seniors with serious chronic health issues. By partnering with a palliative care nurse and having important conversations with your loved ones and doctors early on, you can maintain agency during your course of treatment.

You can listen to today’s episode here, or on Apple Podcasts, Google,  YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts.

To learn more about how being proactive about planning your care can help you live more comfortably, listen to my interview with Michelle Woodbrey, CDP, CSA, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors. The team at 2Sisters works to help families navigate the care options available for senior loved ones, empowering them to establish a plan that meets care needs and goals.

If this episode has been helpful, be sure to leave a five-star review and share the podcast with your friends to help us in the national effort to educate about home health care options! You can connect with me, Merrily Orsini, on Twitter@MerrilyO.

Sponsors

The Help Choose Home podcast series is a collaborative effort by the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), Axxess, and corecubed to educate the public about the many benefits of the in-home care industry, which includes non-medical home care, private duty nursing care, medical home health, hospice, and other in-home health and wellness services.

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