WWWWF:Ready to Die?
Wichita Falls among the cheapest places for end-of-life care
The drama about Terry Schiavo has long since faded, but the importance of understanding end-of-life care shouldn't.
In Wichita Falls, the added bonus could be less cost.
The city offers some savings for those facing death, according to research conducted by The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. That shouldn't be too surprising, though.
Sandy Aguirre, the incoming director for Hospice of Wichita Falls, pointed out why.
"Our cost of living here is much lower than many other areas of the country especially Manhattan," she said. "It would be hard to compare these areas as there are so many variables."
Medicare can take care of a lot of things.
"Under Medicare when an individual elects the Hospice part of their Medicare benefit for their illness, their out of pocket expenses are greatly reduced," Aguirre said. "The hospice team (Nurses, Social Workers, Chaplains and Volunteers), all related medication, supplies and medical equipment are covered. As you can see this is a tremendous benefit to the patient as well as the families."
Still, that doesn't reduce the responsibility of folks to get involved.
"People need to be educated on their options for end-of-life care," Aguirre said. "If they choose the traditional curative medical care their out of pocket expenses most likely will be higher."