What is Hospice?
Increasingly, people are choosing hospice care at the end of life. Hospice care focuses on the care, comfort, and quality of life of a person with a serious illness who is approaching the end of life.
Like palliative care, hospice provides comprehensive comfort care as well as support for the family,
but in hospice, attempts to cure the person's illness are stopped.
Hospice is provided for a person with a terminal illness whose doctor believes he or she has six months or less to live if the illness runs its natural course. It's important for a patient to discuss hospice care options with their doctor. Starting hospice early may be able to provide months of meaningful care and quality time with loved ones.
“Endings matter, not just for the person but, perhaps even more, for the ones left behind.”
- Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
r&A
Hospice
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure a comfortable end-of-life care experience by providing quality hospice care services to our patients with life limiting illness, with compassionate care, comfort, dignity and respect.
Our Goal
Our goal is to get to know our patients' needs exceedingly well in order to provide them the best individualized hospice care plan that meets their needs, concerns and choice.
Dispel Myths About Hospice
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Many people think that hospice care is only for the last few days of life, when in fact patients can receive it much earlier, as long as the terminal diagnosis is certified. The most frequent feedback received from families on customer satisfaction surveys is that they wish they had learned of hospice sooner.
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Hospice focuses on quality of life for the time that remains – managing pain and symptoms as well as providing emotional and spiritual support.
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The hospice benefit is available through Medicare and other insurances, and it provides additional support services to help the patient and family cope with the advancing illness.
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The hospice care team can include the patient’s physician. If there are questions about how to bill for this, please ask us.
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Patients can elect hospice care regardless of the presence or absence of an advance directive.
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The hospice benefit covers prescriptions, equipment, and supplies for the terminal and related diagnoses.
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Hospice supports patients and their families with spiritual and emotional care, including 13 months of bereavement support.
Hospice Care VS Palliative Care
Palliative and Hospice care both address symptoms, Hospice is offered in place of curative treatment. It is typically available only in the last six months of life or as estimated by the patient’s doctor. Whereas Palliative care is available at any time in a patient’s disease, from diagnosis and throughout curative treatments. It is purpose is to ease the pain and discomfort of the patient.
