A question often asked is: Is life-limiting the same as terminal?
The answer is, yes. A terminal illness is a disease or condition which cannot be cured by conventional medicine and will likely result in the death of the individual. Life-limiting is often used as a softer, gentler term when referring to a patient’s condition.
Examples of a life-limiting illness include:
- Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia
- Stroke
- ALS
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Heart Disease
- Pulmonary Disease
- Liver Disease
- End-stage Renal Disease
- AIDS
- Cancer
There comes a time when caring for an individual with a life-limiting illness becomes too overwhelming to handle by a partner or family. If a loved one has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and is experiencing the challenges below, it may be time to contact hospice:
- Decreasing appetite
- Dysphagia or difficulty swallowing
- The decline in cognitive status or functional abilities
- Increasing assistance needed with daily activities and personal hygiene/care
- Increasing pain or increasing difficulty in controlling pain
- Progressive weight loss (with consideration to weight gain factors such as edema, when applicable)
- Increased fatigue or physical weakness
- Increasing dyspnea or shortness of breath
- Dependency of oxygen
- Frequent hospitalizations, ER visits, or visits to the physician within the last six months
- Reoccurring infections
- Ascites
- Increased nausea and/or vomiting that is difficult to control
- A loss of will or to receive treatment
- Recurrent or frequent infections and skin deterioration
- A specific decline in condition
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have so that you can have a comprehensive discussion with your physician to find the right solution for you.