WHAT IS HOSPICE?
Hospice is a special kind of care for those who
no longer pursue a cure for their illness near the
end of life. Hospice care focuses on quality of
life when a cure is no longer possible, or the
burdens of treatment outweigh the benefits. With
hospice, care priorities shift to the care, comfort
and quality of life of the patient and the support
of the caregivers.
Hospice care for people where they live.
Although some hospice care is provided in
hospitals, in-hospice facilities, or nursing homes,
most patients receive care in the place they call
home, which is where most people would prefer
to be.
PATIENT-SPECIFIC, TEAMORIENTED
CARE
Hospice care is an interdisciplinary teamoriented
approach focusing on the patient’s
needs for expert medical care, pain management,
and emotional and spiritual support expressly
tailored to the patient’s and family/inner circle’s
wishes and needs. The team will work with you
and your family to create a plan of care that will
outline the actions and goals for your hospice
care.
The interdisciplinary team usually consists of:
• Clergy or other counselors
• Hospice aides
• Hospice physician (or medical director)
• Nurses
• Social workers
• Trained volunteers
• Speech, physical, and occupational
therapists, if needed
Often, people choose to have their primary
doctor involved in medical care. Both the primary
doctor and the hospice medical director may
work together to coordinate the patient’s medical
care, especially when symptoms are difficult to
manage.
END OF LIFE
HOSPICE
The interdisciplinary team will:
• Manage the patient’s pain and symptoms
• Provide emotional support
• Provide medications, medical supplies and
equipment
• Coach caregivers on how to care for the
patient
• Deliver special services like speech and
physical therapy when needed
• Make short-term inpatient care available
when pain or symptoms become too
difficult to manage at home or when
caregivers need respite time
• Provide grief support, also known as
bereavement support
CARE AND SUPPORT
As a relationship with hospice begins, hospice
staff will want to know how best to support the
patients and their caregivers. Hospice provides
a lot of support however, most of the day-today
care of a person receiving hospice care is
provided by family, friends, the inner circle, or paid
home health aides. The hospice team coaches
caregivers on how to care for the patient and
even provides respite care when caregivers need
a break. Respite care can be for as short as a few
hours or for as long as several days. Medicare
covers up to 5 days of respite care at a time.
Hospice care is available ‘on call’ after the
administrative office has closed, seven days a
week, 24 hours a day. Hospices are required to
have nurses available to respond to a call for
help within minutes, if necessary. Some Hospice
programs have chaplains and social workers on
call as well.
Members of the hospice staff will visit regularly
to check on the patient, family, and caregivers.
They will make sure that any symptoms are under
control and give any needed care and services.
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