Hospice: a better option

Newsday says the only way to control government spending is to control the rising costs of health care ["Medicare needs wiser antidotes," Editorial, Dec. 1]. The editorial focuses on the cost of physician services and the high cost of end-of-life care.

Most of us have or will deal with aging parents and the issue of the dying process. Frankly, I don't wish a death under bright lights in a noisy environment with all kinds of invasive tubes and wires. The alternative is hospice care, either at home, or in a hospice facility: quiet, peaceful and respectful palliative care for the terminally ill.

And guess what? Hospice care costs a small fraction of dying in a hospital. It's covered by Medicare just like hospital care, so Medicare (that means you and me) can save a lot of money by choosing hospice care.

Don't rely on the government to convince you that hospice is a better way - check for yourself. Do it ahead of time, so you are not pushed to put a loved one in the hospital at a critical time.

Doug Dahlgard

St. James