Diabetes patients need hospice care when they are entering their last weeks or months to live. This helps families provide their loved one with the most comfortable quality of life. Patients who have been chronically ill and have decreased function where they spend at least half of their time in a chair or bed, who have a poor quality of life, who are a burden to their caregiver, who have increased frequently of medical or symptoms crises, or multiple emergency room visits or hospitalizations are eligible for hospice care from New Vision Hospice & Palliative Care in Los Angeles, CA.
Hospice care is best for patients with terminal disease state, which includes patients with severe gangrene or critical limb ischemia. These patients are not candidates for amputation surgery. Those with large painful wounds leading to sepsis are also usually great candidates for our hospice care services throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Medicare helps determine someone’s status for hospice qualification. For many patients, they may live past their six-month prognosis while on hospice, in which we will continue care.
Ultimately, keeping someone’s blood glucose levels during hospice becomes less of a priority. It’s important to keep the patient as comfortable as possible and offer medication management that helps stabilize glucose levels. If left untreated, all diabetes can lead to serious complications. Toward the end of someone’s life, we will help our patients avoid uncomfortable symptoms of high blood glucose rather than prevent complications.
Diabetes management includes insulin or blood glucose testing for those with Type I diabetes. For those with Type II diabetes, the need for diabetes medication or blood glucose testing will vary. Our team can evaluate the patient’s condition to determine what is the best course of action.
Recognizing uncomfortable symptoms of high blood glucose such as fatigue, thirst, or the need to go to the bathroom a lot is important for treating diabetes patients.
