What Exactly is Hospice Care?

What is Hospice Care?

The purpose of hospice care is to provide comfort and quality of life for a terminally ill person. Hospice care can be very difficult for families to come to terms with but can be a beneficial care option for those caring for a terminally ill loved one. Hospice care can allow the patient to remain at home and can provide ways to alleviate pain and make the person more comfortable. It is a great option for those who are seriously ill, who have exhausted their treatment possibilities, or who do not wish to continue treatment for a terminal illness.

How is Hospice care obtained?

In order to be placed under hospice care, normally, a patient must receive a prognosis from two doctors that the patient has six months or less to live. Since there is no way to be sure how long a patient will live, the patient must continue to qualify every 60 to 90 days.

What are the benefits of Hospice care?

A hospice team will work with other healthcare professionals, including the doctors a patient already has, to coordinate and provide treatment and care. Support for families and caregivers is another benefit of hospice care. The team can help train caregivers to provide care to a loved one. Medical equipment and medications related to the illness will be provided for those in hospice care.

The hospice team comes to the patient wherever they may live. Hospice provides different levels of care, including home care, but can also extend to in-patient care in a hospital’s hospice unit.

Respite care is a benefit of hospice care for the family and caregiver. Caregivers are provided through the hospice program so that caregivers can go on vacation, rest, or take care of other matters. Hospice care addresses not only the physical needs of the patient but also the spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being of the patient receiving hospice care.  Hospice care offers bereavement follow-up and support for families as well.

How is Hospice care paid for?

Terminally ill patients do not normally have to pay for hospice care. Most hospice patients have their care paid for through Medicare and the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Veterans are eligible for hospice benefits provided through the Veteran’s Health Administration, and these benefits are also similar to the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Health insurance may cover some hospice benefits. This can vary among insurers, so it is important to check qualifications and coverage. If the patient has no other way to pay for hospice care, it may be provided on a sliding scale or free of charge.

Hospice care is a beneficial option for helping families care for a terminally ill loved one. The loved one does not have to be moved unless their medical condition requires constant care. They are able to stay in their homes and receive care to keep them comfortable, and their pain managed. It is nearly impossible for a terminally ill patient to be turned down for hospice care if they have six months or less to live. Payment options are always available and patients are rarely turned away.

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