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HOSPICE & PALLIATIVE CARE IN SOUTH FLORIDA

Alzheimer’s Awareness

According to the Palliative and hospice care programs advanced to its last stages. When
are seriously underutilized. Such pro- patients reach this point, they are unable
Alzheimer's Association, an grams create a custom plan of care based to communicate their discomfort and
estimated 5.6 million on the needs of each patient and caregiv- pain. Many times families of Alzheimer's
er to provide an extra layer of support patients cannot give the constant sup-
Americans age 65 and needed when dealing with Alzheimer's port that is needed by the patient.
or dementia. Although palliative care, as Our hospice care team works towards
older are living with opposed to hospice care, can be offered relieving these pressures by assisting the
Alzheimer's disease, and at any stage, it is best to start at the patient wherever they consider home
beginning of the diagnosis in order to and maximizing the patient’s quality of
more than 16 million manage symptoms such as anxiety and life. In addition to offering comfort and
depression. support, our trained nurses and nursing
Americans provide unpaid
Our team can help families cope with assistants aid in everyday, mundane tasks
care for people with BY DR. ISMAEL ROQUE the disease process, educate them on the such as feeding, bathing, and dressing,
VELASCO changing needs of the patients, and cre- while our support staff of social workers,
Alzheimer's or other forms ate realistic expectations of care and chaplains, bereavement support coun-
treatment. Caregivers are offered coun- selors, and volunteers work with the
of dementia. Journal of Palliative Medicine. Palliative seling to assess caregiver burnout and family and caregivers.
care, similar to hospice care, can alleviate unresolved grief. Unlike many other terminal condi-
With these statistics increasing each symptom burden, reduce psychosocial Alzheimer's differs from other diseases tions, caring for a person with
year and without movement in education distress, and improve quality of life for because it is difficult to determine what Alzheimer's can become a full-time job.
on the matter, patients and caregivers are patients suffering from serious or life- level of care is needed and when. As the Our team at OpusCare has been trained
unaware of the programs and services threatening illnesses. disease progresses, our team can help to not only provide quality service but to
that exist to alleviate some of the unfor- Organizations such as OpusCare of guide the patient's family into the next treat the patient and caregiver as if they
tunate burdens attributed to caring for a South Florida, are dedicated to helping steps of treatment. Additionally, our pal- were part of our own family. Our team is
patient with this type of serious illness. overcome these obstacles, raise aware- liative care social workers work with the here to serve at the times when you need
In 1974, the first modern hospice ness, and provide resources to our local family to assist with placement, commu- it the most.
opened in the United States. As more communities on the benefits of palliative nity resources, daycare facilities, applica-
hospices diversify their services to and hospice care services. Since setting tion for long term care, and advanced Dr. Ismael Roque Velasco is President and
include Palliative Care, 71% of adults in our roots in the South Florida communi- directives. Chief Executive Officer,
the United States are still unaware of the ty in 1991, quality care and education Hospice should be taken into consider- OpusCare of Florida and Texas.
benefits of its services, as stated by the
have been our central core values. ation when the patient's Alzheimer's has

South Florida Hospital News southfloridahospitalnews.com November 2019 19