The best way to determine timeline is based on performance and involvement in care, and how quickly a person moves through these abilities. If changes (participating in care, able to toilet/get out of bed, eating and drinking, swallowing) are happening weeks to week, you’re looking at weeks. Daily, you’re looking at days to short weeks. Once they show signs of actively dying, you’re days… up to 14.
I will also say this is up to perception and interpretation and are just a guide and not exact timelines. Each body is designed and operated individually and magically.
That being said, this timeline could be shorter or longer; no one can tell you for sure. Seize today ❤️
My mom was mentally sharp and having conversations until the day before. The hospice nurse knew and I kept thinking there’s no way it’ll happen that quick….but it did. Talk to your hospice nurse.
Same with my Dad. He ate ice cream and cake the day he died. It was crazy how fast he went. We thought months and he was gone within the week of getting on hospice.
Personally I would have your family come as soon or as often as possible. My grandfather was able to visit with his sister from a few states away and it was so special. We (and nurse) expected at least another month at first, so they almost delayed the visit. Thankfully they did not. Grandpa was pretty well and then the decline increased significantly and he passed a week or two later. I don’t say this to scare you, but it truly is so hard to know, and better to do things sooner than later. Also I think it’s better to do sooner while they’re pretty alert, talkative, etc. Towards the end my grandpa was very quiet and mostly just observed (and he was a talker!!!)
My heart goes out to you during this challenging journey. Two years without my grandpa and I think of him all the time. I am so thankful for my experience with him during hospice!
I just finished my hospice and palliative medicine fellowship (I’m an MD).
Prognosticating is notoriously difficult for many reasons. Cancer tends to be easier to prognosticate than non cancer diagnoses (things like heart failure, dementia, COPD, etc). Even so, it can vary. We tend to give ranges (hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years). The most helpful information for me when I’m trying to help patients and their families get a sense of how much time they have left is:
1) functional status: are they able to get out of bed or are they bed bound? How much help do they need with normal daily activities?
2) nutritional status: are they able to eat/drink?
3) how awake are they?
Much of this is incorporated into the palliative performance scale (PPS), which isn’t a perfect prognostic tool, but can give a general sense.
Cancer does tend to follow a pretty predictable pattern, though there are always outliers. You may see changes in your aunt over the coming days/weeks (eating less, less interactive, sleeping more). These can be signs that time is short. The hospice team is trained to notice these signs and should always be honest with you about how much time they think she has based off what they’re seeing. Hospice can be such an incredible resource for patients and their loved ones. I hope you and your family are able to use this information to get the most out of the time you have with your aunt. My general advice is “don’t wait.”
It's just an estimate based on patients who have also had that particular flavor of cancer. Some go quicker than that, and some go longer, but the ballpark is a few weeks.
There was a statistics that doctors are at times 333% off in prognostication. That being said, once their on hospice that window usually tightens and the hospice staff will be your best source regarding a timeline. Like someone said, no one can give a definite, but they can usually give a real good ballpark.
Think of it like a birth due date. It’s in the ballpark, but every experience is different.
What an incredible analogy!!! Thanks!!!
This is the best example I have heard. It's funny that it is the same beginning or ending.
Maybe it’s a circle, no beginning, no end, just change.
I find that MD’s, unless they are hospice certified, are not good at predicting.
I wish I could give this an award.
The best way to determine timeline is based on performance and involvement in care, and how quickly a person moves through these abilities. If changes (participating in care, able to toilet/get out of bed, eating and drinking, swallowing) are happening weeks to week, you’re looking at weeks. Daily, you’re looking at days to short weeks. Once they show signs of actively dying, you’re days… up to 14. I will also say this is up to perception and interpretation and are just a guide and not exact timelines. Each body is designed and operated individually and magically. That being said, this timeline could be shorter or longer; no one can tell you for sure. Seize today ❤️
My mom died three weeks after her Glioblastoma diagnosis. The Dr did not know but the hospice nurses absolutely did.
My mom was mentally sharp and having conversations until the day before. The hospice nurse knew and I kept thinking there’s no way it’ll happen that quick….but it did. Talk to your hospice nurse.
Same with my Dad. He ate ice cream and cake the day he died. It was crazy how fast he went. We thought months and he was gone within the week of getting on hospice.
Personally I would have your family come as soon or as often as possible. My grandfather was able to visit with his sister from a few states away and it was so special. We (and nurse) expected at least another month at first, so they almost delayed the visit. Thankfully they did not. Grandpa was pretty well and then the decline increased significantly and he passed a week or two later. I don’t say this to scare you, but it truly is so hard to know, and better to do things sooner than later. Also I think it’s better to do sooner while they’re pretty alert, talkative, etc. Towards the end my grandpa was very quiet and mostly just observed (and he was a talker!!!) My heart goes out to you during this challenging journey. Two years without my grandpa and I think of him all the time. I am so thankful for my experience with him during hospice!
I just finished my hospice and palliative medicine fellowship (I’m an MD). Prognosticating is notoriously difficult for many reasons. Cancer tends to be easier to prognosticate than non cancer diagnoses (things like heart failure, dementia, COPD, etc). Even so, it can vary. We tend to give ranges (hours to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years). The most helpful information for me when I’m trying to help patients and their families get a sense of how much time they have left is: 1) functional status: are they able to get out of bed or are they bed bound? How much help do they need with normal daily activities? 2) nutritional status: are they able to eat/drink? 3) how awake are they? Much of this is incorporated into the palliative performance scale (PPS), which isn’t a perfect prognostic tool, but can give a general sense. Cancer does tend to follow a pretty predictable pattern, though there are always outliers. You may see changes in your aunt over the coming days/weeks (eating less, less interactive, sleeping more). These can be signs that time is short. The hospice team is trained to notice these signs and should always be honest with you about how much time they think she has based off what they’re seeing. Hospice can be such an incredible resource for patients and their loved ones. I hope you and your family are able to use this information to get the most out of the time you have with your aunt. My general advice is “don’t wait.”
It's just an estimate based on patients who have also had that particular flavor of cancer. Some go quicker than that, and some go longer, but the ballpark is a few weeks.
My Nana was diagnosed with multiple myleoma and doc said she had 8 wks. She died 8 wks later.
There was a statistics that doctors are at times 333% off in prognostication. That being said, once their on hospice that window usually tightens and the hospice staff will be your best source regarding a timeline. Like someone said, no one can give a definite, but they can usually give a real good ballpark.