Top 5 Facts You Need to Know about Hospices

Due to misconceptions and misunderstandings about hospice care, many patients who could benefit from it don’t receive it. Hospice care provides a supportive and caring environment in which those who have a terminal illness can live out their remaining days as comfortably as possible. The care received is tailored to the wants and needs of you and your family, so one person’s hospice experience can be vastly different from another’s. Here are the five most important facts you need to know if you’re considering hospice care.

Many people believe that hospice care requires the patient to move into a designated hospice facility, but this simply isn’t true. Hospice is a type of care, not a place. You can receive hospice care wherever you call home, be it a private residence or a room or apartment within a nursing care facility or retirement community. Hospice does not require you to live in a specific place or environment. In this arrangement, care comes to you rather than asking that you come to it.

While hospice care is for those with a terminal illness, it’s not about giving up. Hospice is about giving patients the care and support they need to get the most life possible out of whatever time they have left. In fact, people who receive hospice care often live longer than those who don’t. When thinking about hospice care, many people picture patients receiving pain killing drugs in high enough doses that they simply sleep most of the time. While controlling pain is one of the many services hospice care can provide, the care focuses on getting patients the services and equipment they need to live comfortably. If you’re still feeling well enough to run a marathon or volunteer at your church, hospice is happy to help you do so.

Hospice programs offer a multitude of support services to both the patient and his or her family. Support services are available to help people make end of life decisions, cope with their illness and help loved ones deal with their grief both before and after a hospice patient’s passing. Hospice provides services on an a la carte basis, providing only those service you need or want. They can provide the following and more on an as needed basis:

• Home visits from registered nurses
• Access to home health aides who can help with bathing, dressing and other tasks
• Counseling services for patients and their family
• Medical equipment, including hospital beds and oxygen tanks
• Medical supplies
• Nutritional counseling, occupational therapy and other support services
• Access to physicians and specialists
• Pain and symptom management

It is often assumed that hospice care is only for those in the last stages of life and that care has a six month tine limit. This is a misconception. You can receive hospice care as long as you meet the qualifications. If your condition improves and you no longer meet hospice care requirements, you can leave hospice but resume care at any time if you once again meet the criteria. There is no tine limit on how long you may receive hospice services.

Hospice is covered by Medicare in 43 states, so many people qualify for care at little or no cost. Many private insurances also cover hospice services so that families need not worry about the cost. If you don’t have insurance. Medicare or Medicaid, hospice programs will sometimes provide at least some of their services for free. It’s always worth a telephone call to your local hospice care provider to find out what help may be available.

VNA & Hospice is dedicated to providing the highest quality healthcare to residents of the Central Coast and Monterey County. Registered nurses and skilled staff members provide many services, including senior home care, hospice health care, palliative care, orthopedic rehabilitation, and more.