Q- What is Hospice care?
A- Hospice is a type of specialized care for people who have terminal illness that is no longer responding to medical treatment or intervention. Rather than trying to cure the disease, we focus on comfort care, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support for the patient along with the families and caregivers.

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Q- How does home hospice care work?
A- In most cases, a family member serves as the patient’s primary caregiver and helps make decisions for their loved one. The hospice care team, working together with the caregiver, develops a plan to provide treatment, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, personal care and specialized services for both the patient and family. Hospice staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help meet your needs.

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Q- What is the difference between hospice and palliative care?
A- Hospice and palliative care both focus on quality of life and relief of uncomfortable symptoms. The difference is that palliative care may begin earlier (e.g., at diagnosis) and take place at the same time as curative treatment. Hospice care begins after curative treatment stops, to improve comfort and quality of life as the patient nears the end of their life. Hospice care provides all the services palliative care provides, but palliative care does not typically include all the services that hospice care provides.

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Q- How is Hospice care different from home health care?
A- Hospice care keeps patients comfortable as symptoms of their terminal illness worsen. Services typically increase over time to meet the needs of the patient.
Home health care helps people recover from an illness or injury and become as self-sufficient as possible. Visits typically decrease as the patient’s condition improves.

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Q- How do I know when it's time for hospice?
A- Patients should hospice when medical treatments can no longer cure their disease or when the burden of treating symptoms outweighs the benefits of treatment. Although end-of-life care can be difficult to discuss, talking about hospice early on allows you to make educated decisions and understand a loved one’s wishes before a crisis occurs. If you're unsure whether hospice care is the right choice for you or a loved one, call us for a complimentary evaluation.

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Q- Does my insurance cover hospice care?
A- Yes. Hospice services are 100% covered by Medicare part A. They are also covered by Medicaid in most states, as well as many other private insurances.

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Q- Who provides hospice care services?
A- You’ll receive care and intermittent visits from a team of trained professionals with expertise in different fields. Your hospuce care team may include a physician, nurse, social worker, chaplain, bereavement counselor, hospice aide and volunteers.

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Q- When is Hospice available?
A- Yes. Hospice care is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We have hospice team members on call and can respond within minutes, if needed.

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Q- How do I start hospice care?
A- Anyone can make a referral for hospice care. Feel free to speak with your doctor, minister or a trusted friend when making this decision. You can also contact us to learn more about in-home hospice services and arrange a meeting in your home to discuss our hospice services. 

 

Q- How long can a patient receive hospice care?
A- It depends on the patient’s specific needs, but Medicare covers six months of hospice care initially. Care can last longer than six months if a doctor certifies that the patient continues to meet hospice eligibility requirements.

 

Q- What happens if the patient’s condition improves?
A- Sometimes with the extra attention that hospice care provides, a patient’s health improves. If a patient’s condition improves or the disease goes into remission, the patient can be discharged from hospice care and returned to regular medical treatment. Likewise, should the patient need to return to hospice in the future, these services can be resumed if the patient is eligible based on their condition.