What Is Hospice?
Hospice focuses on CARE, not CURE and
treats the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of their patients and families.
We believe that the quality of life is as important as the length of life.
About Hospice
Hospice is a special way of caring for people who are terminally ill. Hospice care also helps the family of people who are terminally ill. This care includes physical care and counseling. A public agency or private company approved by Medicare can give hospice care. Hospice is for all age groups during their final stages of life, including children, adults, and the elderly. The goal of hospice is to care for you and your family if you are terminally ill, not to cure your illness.
If you qualify for hospice care, you can get medical and support services, including nursing care, medical social services, doctor services, counseling, homemaker services, and other types of services. You will have a team of doctors, nurses, home health aides, social workers, counselors, and trained volunteers available to help you and your family cope with your illness. In many cases, you and your family can stay together in the comfort of your home. Depending on your condition, you may have hospice care in a hospice residential facility, hospital, or nursing home.
Source: "Medicare Hospice Benefits" – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Publication No. CMS 02154 – July 2003
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How Hospice Works
Your doctor and the hospice will work with you and your family to set up a plan of care that meets your needs. The plan of care includes the hospice services you need that are covered by Medicare.
The care that the hospice gives you is meant to help you make the most of the last months of life by giving you comfort and relief from pain. The focus is on care, not cure.
As a hospice patient, there is a team of people that will help take care of you. They are…
- your family
- a doctor
- a nurse
- counselors, including psychologists and clergy
- a social worker
- home health aids
- trained volunteers
Volunteers are trained to help with everyday tasks, such as shopping, transportation, household chores, and they may provide companionship. Speech-language, physical, and occupational therapists, and other people who are trained to give care are also there for you when you need them.
A family member or other person who cares for you might be with you every day, and members of the hospice team will make regular visits. A nurse and a doctor are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to give you and your family support and care when you need it. If you should need care in a hospital for your illness, the hospice team will help arrange your stay.
Even though a doctor is a part of the hospice team, you can choose to use your regular doctor, who might not be a part of the hospice, to get care. The hospice will work closely with your regular doctor to give you the care that you need.
Source: "Medicare Hospice Benefits" – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Publication No. CMS 02154 – July 2003
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How Hospice Works
You can get hospice care as long as your doctor certifies that you are terminally ill and probably have less than six months to live. Even if you live longer than six months, you can get hospice care as long as your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill
Hospice care is given in periods of care. As a hospice patient, you can get hospice care for two 90-day periods followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods. At the start of each period of care, your doctor must certify that you are terminally ill for you to continue getting hospice care. A period of care starts the day you begin to get hospice care. It ends when your 90-or 60-day period ends. If your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill, your care continues through another period of care.
Source: "Medicare Hospice Benefits" – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Publication No. CMS 02154 – July 2003
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