Set new laws for life expectancy limits for hospice care for dementia patients. Current law states the patient has to be within 6 months of imminent death in order to get help from hospice. Dementia sufferers can live for years with the disease, all the while spiraling downward in mental and physical capacity, and family members/caretakers must find a way to care for the patient with ebergy, time and money that may not be available. It puts family members in a hard spot worrying about losing jobs over missing work or having so many expenses that may be hard to cover. And if you put them in a nursing home, you also risk losing your home if you have to utilize Medicaid.
Make new laws to REGULATE the use of opiates and narcotics in Hospice facilities, especially where dementia is the diagnosis, so that true COMFORT CARE is used first and foremost before overdosing unsuspecting patients as a way to save money for the government (Medicare). Allow families to have more at-home services(nurse visits and supplies), paid for by Medicare, for dementia patients and their caregivers. Pass laws stating that RESPITE CARE in a facility must involve the same level of care that the patient is receiving at home WITHOUT utilizing chemical restraint (morphine, fentanyl , ativan, halidol ) control dementia sufferers. Make RESPITE CARE available at least once a month for patients of HOSPICE and their caretakers.