When Doctors Recommend Hospice But Family Is Not Ready

When a person has a disease in an advanced state, the life expectancy is less than six months, and all worthwhile cures have already been tried, a doctor may recommend hospice. It’s not uncommon for doctors to hear that the family is not ready for hospice. One hopes that the doctor will then ask “Why? What are you feeling?” One of the worst things that can happen is for the doctor to simply wait to see if the family member changes his or her mind. It’s important that family explore the reasons for wanting to delay or refuse hospice. This is especially true if a family member is making the healthcare decisions for a seriously ill patient. There may be a good reason to delay hospice, but the most common reasons for feeling not ready are misconceptions. Working from these misconceptions could increase costs for the family and lower quality of life for a loved one during the last months of life.

The Most Common Reasons A Family Member Would Refuse Hospice