How Hospice Helps Stroke Patients (DRops of Wisdom)

Today we continue “DRops of Wisdom,” our physician blog, with Dr. Stewart Stein, the associate vice president of medical services for Chapters Health System. He describes the importance of raising stroke awareness during the month of May, National Stroke Awareness Month.

Raising Stroke Awareness

When it comes to raising awareness about heart disease and breast cancer, the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen Foundation have helped educate millions of Americans about the importance of knowing your numbers and for women, taking the time for monthly self-breast exams. Understanding the perils of stroke and neurological disease could use a decided push in a similar direction.

According to the American Stroke Association, the following are current statistics about stroke:

• About 795,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke: approximately 610,000 of these are first attacks, and 185,000 are recurrent attacks.
• On average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds.
• Stroke kills nearly 133,000 people each year, making it the fifth leading cause of death.
• On average, every 3 minutes 45 seconds, someone dies from a stroke.
• Approximately 40 percent of stroke deaths occur in males and 60 percent in females.

Helping Stroke Patients

As indicated in the numbers previously mentioned, many individuals fall victim to multiple strokes. This fact then lends us to think about what happens to these stroke patients. What care might they need?

One of the most difficult decisions a physician or healthcare practitioner will ever make is knowing when it’s time to refer stroke patients to hospice. Studies, however, indicate that most patients who could benefit from hospice care simply aren’t referred early enough. Additionally, many patients and their families do not realize they can self-refer to hospice.

All too often, patients wait too long to be referred to hospice. They are fearful of what that might mean. The myth is out there. Unfortunately, people believe they should only access hospice service when they have mere days to live. If patients choose hospice, it doesn’t equal giving up. The reality is hospice care options allow people to make the most of life with their time remaining.

When Hospice is Right for Stroke Patients

Stroke patients are eligible and can be referred to hospice when indicators, such as the following, are present:

• Physical decline whereby patients are limited mainly to being in bed and are not able to perform daily activities of living (activities like bathing, eating, etc. and therefore require assistance)
• Inability to stay hydrated and decreased food intake (this issue usually is displayed as trouble swallowing)
• Current history of aspiration into the lungs that doesn’t respond to treatment
• Unintentional weight loss about 10 percent of body weight over the last six months or more than 7.5 percent over the prior three months
• Other chronic health issues

If physicians are not sure whether their stroke patients might be hospice eligible for services at any of our Chapters Health System affiliates— Good Shepherd Hospice, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice — we are always available for consultations.

What Would You Like to Read about in Future Posts?

In “DRops of Wisdom,” we want to feature posts with subject matter that interests you. Please leave a comment or email us with your ideas.

At Chapters Health System, every day is devoted to educating our patients and keeping them in the place they call home. We are dedicated to ensuring that patients, young and old alike, and their families are able to make educated decisions about important healthcare matters. For more information, please call our helpful Chapters Health team at 1.866.204.8611 or send an email to info@chaptershealth.org. 

About Stewart W. Stein, MD

As associate vice president of medical services for Chapters Health System, Dr. Stewart W. Stein’s extensive background in end-of-life care and a commitment to the delivery of exceptional hospice services are of great benefit to patients and families.

How to Spot a Stroke

Devastating effects of a stroke can be potentially kept to a minimum if the crisis is caught early. Do you know the early warning signs of a stroke? It is as easy as knowing the meaning behind a four-letter acronym.

Learn about F-A-S-T

The four-letter acronym is the word FAST and here’s what it stands for so anyone can speedily access care and minimize the effects of a stroke:

F — Face drooping. Individuals having a stroke can also feel as though their face is going numb. A good rule of thumb is to ask them to smile. If their smile is lopsided or droops on one side, they might be having a stroke.

A — Arm weakness. Stroke victims can also experience numbness along with weakness of their arm. If you ask them to raise both arms and one drifts unprompted, they might be having a stroke.

S — Speech difficulty. Often when someone is having a stroke, they can start to slur their words, not be able to speak at all or be difficult to understand. If you ask them to say a simple sentence like, “The dog is black,” and they can’t repeat or be understood, they might be having a stroke.

T — Time to call 9-1-1. Even if the person’s symptoms have decreased, call any way. When it comes to stroke, time is of the essence and you shouldn’t delay in seeking treatment.

If you are not sure, don’t hesitate. Call 9-1-1 anyway as it is better to be safe than sorry.