Living with Serious Illness
Hunterdon Health is committed to the highest quality of care for you and your loved ones. As your healthcare needs change, it is normal to feel anxious, ambivalent, or scared, especially in the midst of serious illness.
The following frequently asked questions will help you to navigate your way through some of the important decisions that you and a loved one will have to make going forward.
Our goal is to help you:
- Understand your illness
- Build a support network
- Manage your emotions
- Explore your care options
Start by reaching out to your doctor or specialist. They are trained to help you begin a goals of care conversation. Along the way, they may refer you to others who can help you with this process.
Questions you may have are:
- What is my diagnosis?
- What will happen with this illness over time?
- How much time do I have?
- How do I make a good decision?
With help from others, you can get care that is best for you.
Goals of care is a personalized list of your most important priorities and goals. It speaks to what matters to you and your loved ones, things you’d like to accomplish in the context of your illness, and the best care options for you. Doctors and others are trained to help you create a plan.
You can talk to a loved one or someone you trust. It’s also okay to share how you feel when you meet with a nurse or your doctor. They can refer you to a counselor who will help you manage your stress.
What is Home Health?
Home health care is a short-term service that provides treatment for an illness or injury, usually following a hospitalization or return home from nursing home care. It helps you get better, regain your independence, become as self-sufficient as possible, and learn to live with your illness or disability.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a resource for anyone living with a serious illness. It can be helpful at any stage of illness and is best provided soon after a person is diagnosed. Patients in palliative care may receive medical care for their symptoms, along with treatment intended to cure their serious illness.
What is Hospice?
At some point, it may not be possible to cure a serious illness, or a patient may choose not to undergo certain treatments. Hospice is designed for this situation. The patient beginning hospice care understands that his or her illness is not responding to medical attempts to cure it or to slow the disease’s progress.
Making decisions to help your family, friends, and doctor know about the care YOU would want to receive if you become unable to speak for yourself. Share your personal values, preferences and discussions with those you love. Your family doctor, a palliative care specialist, or a hospice healthcare professional can assist you with completing an advance directive.
Signed into law in 2019, Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) allows an adult New Jersey resident, who has the capacity to make health care decisions and who has been determined by that individual’s attending and consulting physicians to be terminally ill, to obtain medication that the patient may self-administer to end his or her life peacefully and humanely.
See: State of NJ- Department of Health