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Frequently Asked Questions about Hospice Care:
Q. Is hospice just for people with terminal cancer?
A. Hospice is
available to any person with a life limiting illness which includes cancer as
well as any non-cancer diagnoses such as congestive heart failure and chronic
lung disease.
Q. Do you need to leave your home when you are put on hospice?
A. Hospice
is a philosophy of care not a place. Hospice can be provided in private homes,
nursing homes, assisted living facilities as well as hospice houses.
Q. Is hospice care available after hours?
A. Hospice care is available
on-call after normal business hours most hospices have nurses available to
respond within minutes if necessary. Many hospice care organizations have
chaplains and social workers on-call as well.
Q. Can I get hospice services if I am already in a long term care
facility?
A. Hospice services can be provided to a terminally ill patient
wherever they live. The hospice and the nursing facility will have a written
agreement in place in order for the hospice to provide services in the
facility.
Q. When is the right time to ask about hospice?
A. Although end-of-life
care may be difficult to discuss, it is best for family members to share their
wishes long before it becomes a concern.
Q. Should I wait for the doctor to suggest hospice?
A. Many times it will
require that the family member ask the attending physician about the hospice
option. Some doctors are reluctant to talk with family members about hospice
because they do not want to give the impression that there is no hope of
recovery.
Q. Who pays for hospice services?
A. If the patient has Medicare and meets
hospice eligibility requirements, than the government will pay as much as 100%
of the costs. In such a case there is no deductible and no co-payment.
Q. Is all hospice care the same?
A. No, Most communities have more than
one hospice provider. Medicare requires certified hospices provide a basic level
of care but the quantity and quality of services can vary significantly. To find
a quality hospice provider, ask your doctor, clergy member, health care
professionals, social workers or friends that have received care for a family
member.
Q. Can a hospice patient that shows signs of recovery return to normal
medical treatment?
A. Yes. If the patient’s condition improves and the
disease seems to be in remission, the patient can be discharged from hospice and
returned to an aggressive treatment or just to go on with their daily life.
Q. Does hospice provide 24 hour care?
A. Hospice staff is on call for
emergencies 24 hours per day. Hospice care does not include a nurse in the home
24/7. If the patient requires more care than what can be provided in the home,
some hospices have their own inpatient facilities. Larger communities will have
Post-Acute Care centers, hospitals, and even Hospice Houses that can be utilized
for this higher level of care.
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Learn more about Hospice Care:
It is an unfortunate circumstance that Hospice Care is still
largely a misunderstood concept in South Carolina in both the medical community
and the public sector. If you talk to people involved with hospice care and
families that have experienced hospice care you will wonder why every person
facing a life limiting illness is not given the choice to be cared for by
hospice at the end of life. When the aggressive treatment of a life-limiting
illness is no longer a viable option a discussion with the treating physician
about the availability of hospice is always appropriate.
The decision to bring in hospice care can be complicated by family members
that are not willing to give up and want to pursue additional treatment. It is
important for the person that is dying to make their wishes known in advance and
there are documents such as "Five Wishes" that can facilitate
that process.
Hospice care uses a team approach to care that is usually in conjunction with
a primary caregiver that can be a family member or friend. The Hospice
Team consists of doctors, nurses, nurse assistants, chaplains and
social workers along with volunteers. The team virtually wraps the patient in a
blanket of care and allows the family to be less concerned with the medical care
of the patient and more involved with just being present and available for
support.
Hospice care is non-curative medical treatment that is
focused on the comfort and quality of the remaining life of the patient. The
hospice patient for the most part can remain in the familiar surroundings they
are accustomed to and it is common for him/her to remain in their own home.
Sometimes a Hospice House or Post-Acute Care Center may be utilized when the
primary caregiver is overwhelmed and pain control or symptom management requires
a higher level of care then what can be provided for in the home.
Hospice benefits are available under Medicare hospital benefit Part A. Medicare beneficiaries who choose hospice care and are certified by a physician receive non-curative medical support and services for their terminal illness. Hospice care under Medicare includes both home-care and Inpatient care when needed.
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