Calling hospice means deciding that the patient and family no longer want to pursue curative care.
Anyone can request a hospice evaluation at no cost. Sometimes the physician makes the referral or provides several options and lets the patient/family decide.
Hospice patients receive services from an “interdisciplinary” team, meaning members come from different disciplines or fields.
Hospice services are typically brought to wherever the patient calls home.
No. When treatment options for a disease have been exhausted or no longer work, hospice provides a way for people to live in comfort, peace and dignity without curative care.
Hospice services can begin when a doctor decides the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less.
A patient is eligible to receive hospice services when their illness is terminal, meaning a physician has determined that they could die within six months if the disease continues as expected.
The hospice nurse creates a plan of care with the patient’s and family’s input, designed to meet the patient’s needs.
Yes.
You will always be kept up-to-date on your loved ones condition.
Hospice can provide additional support.
Yes, you will always be the primary care giver.
Care near the end of life focuses on comfort rather than a cure.
Comfort care focuses on comfort and relief from symptoms as opposed to curing or treating the disease.
Respite care gives a break, or “respite,” to family members and caregivers who are caring for a loved one receiving hospice services.
A hospice must discharge a patients whose underlying disease or condition is no longer considered terminal.
An advance directive is a legal document that lets you direct in advance the care you will receive at some future time.
A member of your hospice team will answer questions and help make arrangements.
Hospice employs bereavement specialists to address all aspects of grief.