Hospice is a type of care tailored for individuals facing terminal illnesses with a prognosis of six months or less. We provide patient-centered care that focuses on maintaining and improving quality of life on every level: physical, emotional, interpersonal, and spiritual. Hospice supports patients and their loved ones.
Typically, there is no out-of-pocket cost for hospice care. Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans cover hospice care 100%. However, some insurance plans may require a co-pay. Call us to learn more about your specific situation.
We provide hospice care service to the patient in the comfort of their home, in their own bed, and surrounded by those they love at the safest place available!
Anyone with a life-limiting, terminal illness with a life expectancy of 6 months or less and no longer receiving curative treatments are eligible to receive hospice care.
An increase in pain, nausea, shortness of breath; repeated hospitalizations or trips to the emergency room; decrease in activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, toileting and eating; unintentional weight loss of 10% of body weight of a period of six months…
Hospice provides a team of people including
i. Physician
ii. Nurse
iii. Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA)
iv. Social Worker
v. Spiritual Coordinator
vi. Music Therapist
vii. Volunteers
viii. and more
Hospice staff visit regularly and are accessible 24/7, to address medical questions, provide support, and teach caregivers. In addition, hospice provides medications, medical supplies, equipment, and treatments necessary to provide high-quality comfort care
Both palliative care and hospice care focus on helping to manage symptoms and improve quality of life, but hospice can only begin when it is felt that the individual has a prognosis of six months or less and curative treatment of the disease has stopped; palliative care can begin much earlier, even at the time of diagnosis and while receiving treatment. The key differences between hospice and palliative care include insurance coverage and when and where the support is provided.
Whether it’s after hours, on weekends, and/or on holidays, our team of professionals is available to triage symptoms by phone, or visit if needed for the comfort and wellbeing of our patients.
Hospice does not automatically stop all medications. Instead, the hospice nurse will review all current medications with the patient, family, and doctors. Together, they will determine which medications should be continued, changed, added, or stopped.
Yes. Patients always have the right to choose what type of care they receive. Patients can be discharged from hospice and return later if the need arises.
Hospice provides bereavement care and counseling to the family and close friends for up to a year after a patient dies.
Yes, patients are able to keep their primary care physician. Our doctors and nurses will work closely with the primary care physician to ensure quality care and ideal symptom management.
Yes! The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at any time with their physician, other healthcare professionals, clergy or friends. Talk about the benefits of curative treatment vs. comfort care.
Hospice is a choice. When patients choose hospice care, they are not giving up, they are taking control. The goal of hospice care is to help people with a life-limiting illness to live life fully, maintain their dignity and provide physical, emotional, social and spiritual support to the patient and family. The hospice philosophy is about focusing on the person, not the disease.
No. Hospice care can be provided when a cure is no longer possible and it is believed a patient has six months or less to live. Important to remember, the six months prognosis is a guideline. Unfortunately, many people enter the program too late to fully benefit from the many services available to them and their families. People often tell us: “We wish we had entered the hospice program sooner”.
Patients and their families often struggle to come to terms with their limited life expectancies. However, hospice can help them address their fears, feelings, and concerns and show them how to redefine hope within the context of their disease and personal lifestyles. Hospice has helped guide thousands of families through this experience and recognizes that every patient and family is unique. We work with each one in whatever ways they find most helpful.
Inspiration Hospice provides professional medical care, aggressive pain, and symptom management and focuses on helping patients live life fully. Hospice has expertise in talking with patients and their families about life-limiting illnesses. We can meet with patients anywhere, anytime, to discuss their health needs, learn their personal feelings and desires, and introduce the concept of hospice care.
Hospice neither hastens nor postpones dying. Hospice provides its presence and specialized knowledge during the dying process.
When patients have a legitimate need for pain medication, they do not become addicted to it. Physicians Choice Hospice has expertise in managing pain and our priority is to keep patients comfortable, alert, and able to enjoy each day to the fullest extent possible, given the circumstances of their medical condition.
Absolutely. An important part of our mission is providing guidance to families about any end-of-life care issue, whether or not they are on our program. You don’t need a physician referral to call us for information. If it appears that hospice care would be beneficial, we will, with your permission, contact your doctor to discuss it.
