What Kind of Care Does Hospice Include?

• Hospice care is focused not only on the individual patient but also on the patient's family. Hospice offers emotional and moral support to families and patients. Care can include: bereavement counseling, patient visits, errands for the family or hospice patient, clergy services, medical or social services and other types of care that can make patients and their families more comfortable.
  
  

Why Choose Hospice Care?

• Electing hospice care is a decision made by the family and the patient. It is often chosen because patients do not want to undergo treatment that may be experimental or does not have a prognosis of curing them or significantly improving their quality of life. Cost issues can also be a factor.
  
  

Can Patients Change their Mind After Entering Hospice Care?

• Once patients decide to go into hospice care they are not obligated to remain there. Additionally, some patients do very well on hospice care, leave it, and then eventually return when it is needed again.
  
  

Who Pays for Hospice Care?

• Hospice care is often covered by private insurance companies as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Hospice care is usually less costly than other medical care because the focus is on comfort as opposed to curing; therefore, less technology is needed and more services can be provided by volunteers. It is also possible to privately pay for hospice care, and some hospices will provide complimentary care for qualifying patients.
  
  

How Do I Choose The Right Hospice Care?

• Recommendations from a physician or person who has used a hospice program may be helpful. If you are not paying privately for the hospice care, your insurance, Medicare or Medicaid benefits may specify which particular hospice services that it will cover. Inquire about the services offered at a hospice-care facility and make sure to select one that has services that your family and patient will use. Additionally, ask whether the hospice is accredited.
  
  Choosing hospice care is a difficult decision for many families and patients, but it may allow some patients to live their days with more comfort and dignity than they would have with other forms of treatment. A quality hospice-care facility carefully trains volunteers and seasoned professionals to focus on the patient as opposed to the cure.