Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement and, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation, nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with it.
While ultimately the severity of Parkinson’s differs from person to person due to the diversity of the disease, living with end-stage Parkinson’s disease can be difficult. You may suffer from an increased severity in falling, freezing, and stiffness. There may be an increased need for a wheelchair or you are bedridden with severe posture issues. In these cases, hospice care for Parkinson’s disease may be your best option.
Choosing hospice for Parkinson’s disease is an important decision. Hospice care can help ensure you or your loved one experience quality of life, dignity, and comfort, especially as the disease progresses.
Hospice care gives your family access to a team of experts including:
This hospice team can help anyone with end-stage Parkinson’s disease.
Most importantly, when you meet the hospice criteria for end-stage Parkinson’s disease, you will experience peace of mind thanks to 24/7 phone access to Parkinson’s hospice experts. If you have a question or need additional help, call Samaritan 24/7 at (800) 229-8183.
Why Choose Samaritan for Parkinson’s Hospice Care in South NJSamaritan is the premier provider of hospice care for end-stage Parkinson’s in South Jersey and meets all the benchmarks a hospice should offer the community as recommended by Consumer Reports. This includes:
Samaritan exceeds those benchmarks by offering families the following qualities:
Two inpatient hospice centers:
Samaritan offers The Samaritan Center at Voorhees and The Samaritan Center at Mount Holly (in Virtua Memorial) for severe pain and symptom management, especially for people with extreme pain and agitation from end-stage Parkinson’s disease.
Complementary Therapies:
Samaritan offers complementary therapies for patients who meet hospice criteria for end-stage Parkinson’s disease. Complementary therapies includes music, massage, and pet therapies. These above-and-beyond services can help with pain, anxiety, grief, tension, and more.
Professional Grief Counseling for Patients and Families:
Healing from your grief is not easy. Sometimes it is a long and painful process. Another benefit to choosing Samaritan are on-staff, professionally trained grief counselors to help you through your grief journey and with your recovery. Grief support counseling is available for 13 months after the loss of your loved one through individual counseling or a variety of support groups.
End-Stage Parkinson’s Hospice CriteriaYou or your loved one is typically eligible for hospice when your physician or specialist certifies that you are terminally ill, which means your disease cannot be cured and you have six months or less to live if your end-stage Parkinson’s follows its natural course. However, it is important to note that many people live beyond six months when accessing hospice care sooner than later. Samaritan empowers you to bring up hospice care to your physician or specialist so you and your family can reap the benefits of this extra layer of care.
If you have Parkinson’s disease, you are eligible for hospice if you exhibit one or more of the following hospice criteria: