Hospice is a specially formulated type of medical care for people of all ages with life-limiting illnesses. The goal is to provide relief from symptoms and stress, as well as improved quality of life for the patient and his or her family.
1. What does hospice do?
Hospice provides a huge assortment of valuable services, including creating an individualized care plan that outlines a patient’s needs. Hospice workers will visit regularly to provide compassionate support, and a helping hand when it comes to everyday tasks like taking medications. They will also outline everything the family can do to make the patient as comfortable as possible.
If there is special equipment you need for in-home care they will make sure to identify and arrange this for you. Hospice is there to do anything and everything in their power to make a patient more comfortable and happy regardless if they live at home or in a medical facility.
2. Is hospice free?
For the most part, patients with a terminal illness do not have to pay for hospice care. Most costs are covered through Medicare via the Medicare Hospice Benefit. In most states, hospice care is also covered through Medicaid. Most major insurance companies also cover hospice care.
Based upon coverage and the status of the patient, care is available for an extended period of time. You cannot receive both standard Medicare and Medicare Hospice Benefit at the same time, but you can go back and forth between the two. A hospice medical director meets with the hospice interdisciplinary team once every two weeks to discus ongoing eligibility for the service. At this time they also discuss better ways to meet needs and treat symptoms.
3. How do I know when my loved one is ready for hospice care?
A doctor may recommend hospice when the time is right but there are some ways to identify if your loved one is ready for this level of care. Some signs a patient may benefit from hospice:
-Repeat hospitalizations without any changes in overall condition.
-Confusion
-Unexplainable weight loss
-Poor hygiene
-Patient is continually declining in overall health and state of wellbeing.
4. How do I enroll in hospice?
If you’d like to enroll yourself or a loved one in hospice you simply call a hospice agency and request an evaluation. As a result, the agency will contact your primary care physician and request permission prior to the evaluation. Post-evaluation you will be filled in on the services that best meet your needs.
5. Where is hospice care provided?
Hospice is flexible in that it can be provided pretty much anywhere a patient is living.
Hospice in the Home includes a team of a registered nurses and aides, medical social workers, chaplains and volunteers that work in partnership with the attending physician to provide everything from physicals to emotional assistance.
Hospice in the Nursing Home provides additional care than what is already provided by a nursing home or other similar-type facility. This may include feeding a patient meals or just hanging out with them to provide caring companionship.
6. Does hospice provide care 24/7?
Hospice is available at all hours of the day and night in the instance of an emergency but there are not enough volunteers or employees on staff to remain with your loved one around the clock. Some hospice programs offer in-patient facilities for patients that need more care. There is also the option of nursing homes and hospitals where hospice care is provided in conjunction with other oversight.
7. Does hospice expedite death?
Hospice will not expedite or prolong death; it lets it naturally come as it may. The job of hospice is to simply make patients as comfortable and happy up until the very last moment they are here on earth.
8. What if a patient shows signs of recovery while in hospice care?
A hospice patient that shows signs of recovery can be discharged and returned to more aggressive treatment or therapy at any time. Just because you enroll in hospice care does not mean you will never have the chance to leave. If the patient begins to decline again they can always return to hospice care when needed.
9. Is all hospice care the same?
No. There are different varieties of hospice care provided in different communities. There is a basic level of care required for all hospice programs but as long as they operate within these guidelines there can be discrepancies between the quantity and quality of care provided. Speak with your doctor, social worker or other healthcare professionals in order to identify the best hospice program for your needs.
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