About Hospice Care

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.

Here are some signs to look for when considering hospice care for a loved one:

Increasing frequency of hospital / emergency room visits

Unexplained drop in weight and strength

Spending most of the day laying down

Also offered to patient and their family is educating about the end-of-life

Increased shortness of breath while resting