About Hospice Care

Hospice care is a specialized end-of-life care serving the patient's needs to enhance their quality of life. A team of specialized health care professionals will provide comfort to the patient through pain and symptom management rather than a cure for the illness. Hospice care can also provide comfort to the family during and beyond the life of the patient with social and bereavement services.

Hospice care's objective is to provide compassionate, comfort care rather than a cure for the terminal illness. For a patient to qualify for hospice care a physician must establish the patient has a prognosis of 6-months or less of life, taking into consideration the patient's illness will run its natural course.

Hospice team members, including registered nurses, will care for you in your home with scheduled visits. Nurses are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for emergency visits or to answer questions you or your family may have. Hospice care will use its resources to find caregiver support as well as other resources you may need.

During in-home visits hospice team members provide:

Pain and symptom management to the patient
Medical care, medical supplies, medical equipment and covered hospice medications
Insight into creating and maintaining a healthy, safe living environment
Personal care including bathing and help getting dressed
Counseling concerning health care wishes, financial needs, including obtaining available financial support services and other benefits from other agencies
Also offered to patient and their family is educating about the end-of-life
Hospice patient care education and training to caregivers
Emotional counseling including grief support
Interfaith spiritual support

When to call a hospice company:

Patients and families get the maximum benefit from hospice when called earlier in their prognosis. Many families provide feedback wishing they had called sooner for the personalized hospice care they received.