FAQS
Hospice care is a service for people with life-limiting illnesses who choose not to get (or continue) treatment to cure or control their illness. The goal is to assure that the last few months of life are lived in comfort, quality , and dignity. People may choose to enroll in hospice care if the treatment is unlikely to be effective or if continuing it has become too burdensome. Again, hospice aims to provide comfort and peace to help improve quality of life for the person nearing end of life. It also helps family members cope with the life-limiting illness of their loved ones and can also provide support to the family after the person passes away, including help with grieving (bereavement care).
Medicare reimburses for hospice services when a physician determines that a patient has a life-expectancy of 6 months or less.
Am I Eligible for Hospice Care?
Anyone with a life-limiting illness whom doctors think has a short time to live generally 6 months or less usually qualifies for hospice care.
For Medicare to pay for hospice care, patients must stop medical treatment intended to cure or control their illness.
When Should I Start Hospice Care?
Despite the benefits of using hospice care, many people wait to receive hospice care until the final weeks or days of life. It’s important to talk with your Doctor about your illness and how your disease is progressing.
Starting hospice early may be able to provide months of meaningful care and quality time with loved ones.
What Services Does Hospice Care Provide?
Hospice care can provide a range of different services depending on your symptoms and end of life care wishes. These services include, emotional and spiritual support for the person and their family, relief of symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and restlessness. Hospice provides respite care, qualified continuous care, and general in-patient care. Hospice also helps with advance care planning, therapy services, like palliative physical or palliative occupational therapy, and much more.
Where Does Hospice Take Place?
Hospice can be provided in many settings; a private home, nursing home, assisted living facility, or in a hospital.
Many people choose to receive hospice care at home so they can enjoy the comfort of their family and loved ones. Other considerations may include one’s home environment vs. another setting, cost, and stability of the person’s condition. Choosing where to receive hospice care is a personal decision, but it may be helpful to talk with family members, your caregiver, or your doctor about the level of care you need and if it can be provided at home. The costs for receiving hospice care at different locations may differ.
Should I Include Hospice Care in My Advanced Care Planning?
Yes, Advanced Care Planning involves making decisions ahead of time about the health care you would want to receive at the end of life. Studies have shown that patients who have participated in advanced care planning receive care that is more aligned with their wishes and are more satisfied with their care.
Do I Have to Stop Other Medication If I am in Hospice?
When you begin hospice care, medication and other treatments to cure or control your life-limiting illness will stop. For example, if you are receiving chemotherapy that is meant to treat or cure your cancer, that must end before you can enter hospice care. However, a person in hospice can continue to take medications to treat other conditions or symptoms, for example, high blood pressure.
Will My Insurance Cover Hospice Care?
Most Medicaid, Medicare , and private insurance providers will cover some of the services provided by hospice. Older adults enrolled in Medicare can receive hospice care if their healthcare provider thinks they have 6 months or less to live. In most cases, they will need to sign a statement choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered treatments for their illness.
Does Hospice Include 24/7 Care?
While some may think hospice provides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week custodial care, or full-time care at home or an outside facility, this is rarely the case. Although hospice provides a lot of support, most of the day-to-day care of a person dying is provided by family and friends. However, a person from a hospice care team is usually always available by phone 24/7. Also, hospice may provide continuous care in the last couple of days to help manage the crisis or acute symptoms of imminent death.
How Does Hospice Benefit People with Advanced Dementia?
Most people with advanced dementia cannot communicate clearly, which means they may not be able to share their concerns with their caregivers. Caregivers may find it difficult to provide adequate care at the end of life because of this and other concerns. Hospice care can help with this situation. Hospice whether used at home or in a medical facility can provide caregivers and the person with dementia the support they may need near the end of life. Studies show that family members of people with dementia who received hospice care report better quality of care and report having more of their needs met at the end of life.
What are the Benefits of Using Hospice Care?
Studies have shown that when a person enrolls in hospice care they are more likely to have increased family satisfaction and better management of pain, anxiety, and other symptoms. They are also less likely to undergo meaningless diagnostics or be given medications they don’t need or want.