Hospice Care Explained — Compassionate Support When It Matters Most

Hospice helps a person have a peaceful and comfortable death in the comfort of his home while being surrounded by his loved ones.

Hospice Caregivers have a calming presence. We understand the patient’s condition and do not judge them based on their medical condition. We are that one good friend you can always lean on!

A common question people often have when considering hospice care for their aging parents or loved ones is, “When is the right time?”

Early admissions to hospice care help improve the quality of life for the patient and help them ease their symptoms and pain. Hospice care is often considered appropriate at any time after your physician has estimated that you have six months or less to live.

Hospice care is also recommended for patients who choose to opt for comfort care rather than curative treatment to focus on their quality of life. Hospice care helps the patient on a full spectrum of emotional, spiritual and direct care.

With earlier referral to a hospice program, patients may receive the care that results in better management of symptoms, leading to the stabilization of their condition and prolonged survival.

Here are a few signs that indicate it may be time for Hospice

• Difficult to Effectively Manage the Pain

  Is it becoming increasingly difficult for you to manage your loved ones’ pain? If so, it may be time to consider hospice care.

• Spending More Time in the Hospital

  Have you been spending a lot of time in the hospital? If so, get in touch with Inspiration Hospice to learn more about hospice care and how we can help manage symptoms in the familiarity of your home.

• Exhausted Caregivers

  Is it becoming increasingly difficult for you, the caregiver, to manage the patient alone? Hospice care helps family caregivers manage things when they seem to be out of control.

  Hospice is not just for the patient, it is for caregivers too.

• Take Control of the Remaining Time

  Sometimes, the patient can feel overwhelmed by the curative treatments offered by medical professionals without seeing any improvement in his condition. This is when they want to take control of the situation instead of giving control to the medical facility.

  Hospice care encourages a person to live comfortably according to his wish in the comfort of his home during the last days of his life.

Inspiration Hospice helps the patients and the families receive the best possible care!

Early referral to hospice increases patients’ likelihood of having a pain free and comfortable end-of-life. To begin hospice care, a patient is required to meet the hospice eligibility criteria established by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

While no specific illness or symptoms are required to qualify for hospice, by law, healthcare professionals must certify that the patient meets the Hospice eligibility guidelines for a referral to a hospice provider.

For patients to be eligible for hospice, consider the following guidelines

• The patient suffers from a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less if the disease runs its course.
• The patient is experiencing an alteration in nutritional status
• Frequent hospitalizations in the past six months
• A decrease in tolerance for physical activities
• The patient has declining cognitive and functional abilities
• Increased weakness, drowsiness, and fatigue
• Deteriorating mental abilities
• A specific decline in medical condition
• Skin breakdown
• Compromised Activities of Daily Living such as dressing, walking, eating, toileting, and continence
• Progressive weight loss

These guidelines are not a replacement to a medical professional’s judgment but provide a convenient tool to help physicians determine when is the right time for a patient to start hospice.

Apart from the general hospice eligibility criteria, there are specific hospice eligibility guidelines based on the patient’s primary diagnosis.

Here’s a list of disease-specific hospice eligibility guidelines.

Patients with end-stage ALS are eligible for hospice care. During end-stage ALS, two factors that determine the prognosis of the disease include – the ability to swallow and the ability to breathe.

More than 5 million Americans of all ages are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. A patient living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia is eligible for hospice care if he can no longer move around, bathe, get dressed or speak.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is several progressive lung diseases. Approximately, 30 million Americans are affected by COPD. A COPD patient may be hospice eligible if he or she has dyspnea at rest or with minimal exertion.

Hospice care for patients living with heart disease addresses a wide range of symptoms, including chest pain, management of fluid status, shortness of breath and functional decline.

A patient may be ready for hospice when the number of CD4 cells falls below 200 cells/mmc3. Other criteria to consider include chronic, persistent diarrhea, generalized weakness, significant weight loss, substance abuse, and generalized wasting.

Patients living with an end-stage neurological condition such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, coma or stroke are eligible for hospice care.

A liver disease patient may enroll in hospice if they have persistent symptoms of hepatic failure such as recurrent varicella hemorrhage, peritonitis, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and weakness.

Patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease also called renal disease can choose hospice care to control the symptoms and experience comfortable end-of-life days.

The biggest predictor of hospice eligibility in oncology is the patient’s functional status. This is determined by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale or the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS).

Sepsis is considered one of the most deadly U.S. conditions with about 250,000 deaths every year. If not treated and addressed quickly, the infection can spread quickly throughout the body. A patient is eligible for hospice if progressive infection occurs and the patient needs to manage the long term symptoms and address pain.

Inspiration Hospice partners with the patient’s primary physician to create an individualized plan that meets the unique need of the patient. We support both patient and their families. Moreover, hospice care can be provided anywhere that a patient calls home.

Have doubt about whether it’s the right time to enroll in hospice or not, please get in touch with us today for an in-home hospice consultation.

Hospice care is often provided in the comfort of the patient’s home with a family member serving as the primary caregiver.

Alternatively, hospice care can also be provided in an assisted living facility, nursing homes, hospitals, or dedicated hospice facilities.

Hospice care is provided by a multidisciplinary team. The team consists of spiritual professionals, highly trained doctors, registered nurses, and volunteers working together to provide complete comfort to the terminally ill patient and care and support to the family and friends.

• Primary Care Physician

  The primary care physician is your current trusted doctor. The primary physician is responsible to determine the patient’s needs and candidacy for hospice. The doctor should refer the patient to a hospice program.

• Registered Nurse Case Manager

  The registered nurse case manager will visit the patient twice or thrice a week, more if required. The RN ensures that the patient’s needs and the needs of the family members are being met by the hospice professionals. The RN is also responsible to supervise the care provided to the patient and his family.

• Social Workers

  Hospice social workers set up a plan of care for the patient’s psychological needs while working in close association with the patient’s loved ones, family and caregivers. They provide emotional support, counseling, and help the family members navigate through the paperwork.

• Bereavement Counselor

  The bereavement counselor helps the patient’s family understand and process the feeling of grief that comes along with a terminal illness diagnosis. According to Medicare regulations, bereavement services are provided throughout the period when the patient is in hospice care and up to 13 months following the death of the patient.

• Chaplain

  The chaplain is the spiritual care leader of the hospice team. He helps the patient’s loved ones navigate the spiritual end-of-life- journey.

• Hospice Volunteers

  Hospice volunteers help the patient and his family members by assisting in household tasks, preparing meals, running errands, and providing companionship.

• Home Health Aide

  Hospice home health aides help the family with light around-the-house tasks. They help educate the caregiver on how to provide the best end-of-life care to the patient.

Hospice care focuses on providing comfort, support, and dignity at the end of life. When a patient enrolls in a hospice program, wide arrays of services are provided by the hospice professionals.

• Routine Home Care

  Routine home care services include:

  • Volunteers visit as required
  • Visits by registered nurses
  • Medications
  • Equipment
  • Home health aide services
  • Chaplain
  • Counselors visits
  • Therapy, if required

  Routine care makes it easy to manage the terminal illness patient and help him maintain comfort.

• Continuous Home Care

  In the United States, hospice is oriented around home-based care, but in other countries of the world, hospice started out as a facility-based service.

  Nowadays, it is easier for patients to access hospice care either from a facility or at home. If the patient chooses to stay at home, the hospice caregivers provide the services at home.

  Continuous home care is provided between 8 to 24 hours a day to make it easier for the patient to manage pain and other acute symptoms.

• General Inpatient Care

  General inpatient care is for those patients whose symptoms cannot be managed through home care.

  In order to assure the patient’s comfort, he is moved into a hospice facility where the patient receives extra attention and care from the staff. Alternatively, a patient may be temporarily placed in an acute care hospital if there is no hospice facility.

• Respite Care

  Caring for a terminally ill patient can be a difficult task.

  Hospice care is not only for the patient but for the family caregiver as well. Respite care is the level of care performed by hospice caregivers to provide temporary relief to the patient’s caregiver.

  There are NO out-of-pocket costs involve in Hospice care as it is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other private insurance.

Inspiration Hospice helps the patients and the families receive the best possible care!

When your loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, are you worried about the end-of-life care cost? Are you avoiding hospice owing to the cost?

Patients who meet the eligibility requirements have several options to choose from when it comes to receive support at a difficult time?

Hospice care costs are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veteran’s Health Administration.

• Medicare and Medicaid

  A majority of hospice patients have their costs covered by Medicare through the Medicare Hospital Benefit.

  In most U.S. States, Medicaid also pays for hospice care. People often become eligible for Medicaid if their income and assets are low.

• Veteran’s Benefits

  Hospice care is also covered by the Veteran’s Health Administration. Get in touch with the hospice care service provider to check your eligibility.

  The Veteran’s Health Administration benefits are similar to Medicare Hospice Benefits.

• Health Insurance

  Patients who have private health insurance are sometimes covered for hospice care. Before choosing a private insurance, check with your insurer to determine whether hospice care is covered and under what circumstances.

• Patients Who do Not Have Insurance

  If you are someone who does not qualify for Medicare, Medicaid, and do not have any private insurance, the hospice service provider can offer financial assistance to help you pay for the services.

Patients, who are eligible for Medicare, are required to fulfill the following criteria:

• Must be 65 years or old
• Someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness
• The doctor has certified that the patient has six months or less to live

Hospice care is available to terminally ill patients who want to improve their quality of life in the last days.

Inspiration Hospice helps the patients and the families receive the best possible care!