Before the Last Weeks

Your doctor has said the treatment is no longer working, or you have started to wonder whether more of it is worth what it costs you. Before the Last Weeks is written to you, the person who is ill, with a part for the family and friends around you. The paperback is set in large print. Inside: - What to ask your doctor, how illnesses tend to run near the end, and getting a second opinion - The fears people name first: pain, breathlessness, being a burden, losing control, money, and telling the family - Palliative care: what it is, who provides it, what it costs, and how it differs from hospice - Hospice: who qualifies, what you agree to when you sign, the four levels of care, and what Medicare pays - What many families learn too late: hospice sends a team that visits. It does not staff the house - Choosing a hospice, and the warning signs to watch for - Covering the hours at home: family, paid help, what it costs, who can help pay, and what to plan if you live alone - Papers and money: your advance directive, your health care agent, POLST, do-not-resuscitate orders, and what to do if memory is going too - Telling your family and the children in your life, and spending the days you have - Who to call before hospice starts, when to call the hospice and when to call 911, and what to do if death comes at home - A part for your family on staying in the room and keeping themselves going, including a husband or wife who is caring alone - Fill-in pages, a verse of Scripture closing each chapter, and a Sources section listing every source The state rules in this book are Georgia's; readers in other states are shown where to find their own. Book 13 of The Sitting Room Series. Stephen Deason has spent about forty years working inside health care. He runs a licensed home care and skilled nursing provider in Georgia. This book is general information. It is not medical, legal, or financial advice.