Get Clarity About a Powerful and Compassionate Healthcare Service
At some point in your healthcare journey, you may find that you desire medical care that is dedicated to your comfort and quality of life, instead of pursuing treatment for your condition. Hospice is a healthcare service that fulfills this need.
Hospice care primarily focuses on managing your symptoms and caring for you as a whole person. This service also provides support for your family members. Despite the incredibly helpful services that hospice provides, many people are still unsure about whether their illness or condition qualifies for hospice and what this service entails.
To help you better understand the value of this essential form of healthcare, we’ve answered important questions that help clarify all that hospice can do for you and your family.
How Do You Qualify For Hospice Care?
Hospice is a medical service that has specific eligibility requirements. You qualify for hospice care when:
- You have an illness or condition that generally has a life expectancy of six months or less if this disease were to run its natural course.
- Your attending physician or specialist certifies your eligibility for hospice based on specific criteria related to your illness or condition.
Although you qualify for hospice based on a life-limiting condition, you don’t need to be “at the end” to receive hospice care, and this does not mean that you are “giving up.” Many people live far longer than a physician expects. Some people’s conditions even stabilize during hospice.
Explore more misconceptions about hospice to better understand the reality of this service.
What Conditions and Illnesses Are Eligible For Hospice?
People with cancer may qualify for hospice care, but you don’t have to have cancer to receive this service. Along with cancer, many other illnesses and conditions meet the qualifications, including:
- Heart disease
- Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Lung disease
- Stroke
- Chronic kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
If you’re unsure if your condition is eligible, you can contact a hospice provider to find out whether you qualify.
Why Do Patients Desire Hospice Care?
You may be wondering when to ask your doctor about hospice care. Here are some common signs that you might be ready for a conversation about hospice with your medical team:
- You no longer want to go to the hospital or emergency room to receive care.
- You want to live without experiencing the painful, uncomfortable symptoms of your condition.
- You want to receive care at home by choosing home hospice care, where you can be closer to family and friends.
Sometimes, family members are the first to bring up hospice care. Here are some of the signs that family members often notice about their loved one, which prompt a conversation about hospice:
- Weight loss that continues to progress
- Frequent hospitalizations
- Falls
- Infections
- Decrease in nutritional intake
If you or your family members are considering hospice care, speak with your doctor. This is the first step in receiving the benefits of hospice.
Where Can You Receive Hospice?
A common misunderstanding about hospice is that it is a location that you go to for hospice care. Hospice is available in certain facilities, but it is also available in a variety of other settings, including at home or in the senior living community or nursing home where you live.
When you receive hospice care at home, the team you’ve selected brings the services and benefits of hospice right to you.
What Services Does Hospice Provide?
Hospice care provides far more than you might expect. Your hospice team will offer services that care for you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
When you choose home hospice services, your hospice care provider will assign you a comprehensive team, which includes:
- A hospice physician who coordinates with your primary care physician.
- A hospice nurse case manager who manages your individualized care plan.
- Hospice care aides.
- Healthcare providers that deliver specialized therapies, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapists.
Hospice offers far more than what many people believe. Home hospice care delivers comprehensive support from a team that is committed to your comfort and quality of life. Services include:
- 24-7, on-call nursing.
- Medications, along with medical supplies and equipment related to your illness or condition.
- Social workers who provide emotional support, helpful resources, and more.
- Chaplains who offer spiritual support, no matter your religious beliefs or background.
- Bereavement support for your family.
- Community volunteers who are there to comfort you, offer companionship, and lend a hand.
- Respite care to give family caregivers relief.
Hospice Defies Expectations For Comfort, Compassion, and Care
Hospice care does not only benefit those with cancer. Hospice is available to help you with many illnesses and conditions, surrounding you with a circle of care and support. With home hospice care, you can live without the challenges, difficulties, and exhausting healthcare routines that you may have experienced in the past.
Hospice is a new beginning that you get to define for yourself. Seek out a provider that is dedicated to delivering the highest quality care, so you can embark on this new phase of life.
