Hospice care is specialized care designed to provide support to you and your loved ones during difficult advanced illnesses. Hospice care focuses on comfort and quality of life, rather than a cure. The goal of hospice care is to enable the patient to have an alert, pain-free life... and to live each day as fully as possible.
Hospice services are available to everyone, regardless of age, religion, race, or illness. You can continue to receive hospice care for as long as your physician determines that your illness continues to be life-limiting.
Hospice care is provided by licensed hospice organizations that specialize in end-of-life care. In most cases, your loved one is assigned an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice aides, counselors and trained volunteers. They will not only help with the patients? needs, but provide emotional support for family members as well.
Hospice care can be paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Veterans Affairs, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations. Also, community contributions, memorial donations, and foundation gifts allow many hospices to give free services to patients who can?t afford payment. Some programs will charge patients according to their ability to pay.
There may be several hospice organizations in your community. If there are several hospices to choose from, you get to choose which one you want to care for your loved one ? just let your physician know which one you prefer.
Hospice care most often is provided in the patients' home, but it can also be provided at other facilities as needed.