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1. What is hospice? Hospice care is a team of professionals and volunteers who provide in-home physical, psychosocial and spiritual support to the patient and family of the terminally ill. Our goal is to alleviate suffering and to enhance the quality of our patient’s life. 2. Who are the members of this team? Hospice services are provided by a team; consisting of the primary care physician, registered nurses (who are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week), certified nurses aides, social workers, dieticians, physical/occupational/speech therapists, clergy, and volunteers. 3. Can the patient continue to see his or her own doctor? The patient’s primary care physician is an important part of the hospice team. As long as the physician is agreeable to working with the hospice team, the patient may choose any physician to be his or her primary care provider. 4. Who would be a candidate for hospice care? People who meet the following requirements are eligible for hospice care:
5. How are hospice services paid for? Hospice services are covered by Medicare (Part A), by Medicaid in Colorado, and by most private health insurance policies. There are provisions for patients who have no insurance coverage, which will allow them hospice care at the end of their life. Hospice care covers the cost of the medications and medical supplies related specifically to the terminal illness. 6. Where is hospice care provided? Our hospice services our typically provided in patient’s home. However, services can be provided in a variety of settings; including assisted living centers, nursing homes, in-patient hospice settings and hospital settings for short periods of time. 7. What services does hospice provide?
8. How do you know if Hospice care is appropriate for you? Anyone can contact our hospice office at 887.9074 to inquire about services or with questions. THE EARLIER HOSPICE IS INVOLVED, THE MORE IT WILL BENEFIT PATIENTS AND FAMILIES. Our Hospice nurse would then contact the patient’s primary care doctor to verify whether he or she is appropriate for hospice care. Once the physician has made the referral the hospice nurse will arrange for a home visit for the patient to sign a consent form and insurance papers. 9. What are the advantages of hospice care?
10. Does choosing hospice care mean that the patient is giving up? Hospice care focuses on enhancing the quality of life in its final stages. Hospice does not attempt to shorten or prolong life. On diagnosis of a terminal disease the hope is for a cure. If over time, a cure cannot be achieved, then hope changes to focusing on the quality of life rather than the quantity of life. A patient can choose to leave hospice care at any time and return to aggressive curative treatment for the disease. The choice is always the patient’s and his or her family’s. 11. When should hospice be contacted? There are several things that can alert one that it may be time for hospice to be contacted. The family could benefit from an information meeting with a hospice admission nurse when one or more of the following is present: a) When your loved one seeks advice about advanced directives or other life issues; b) you see a sudden decline in your loved one's condition; c) the person has been admitted to the hospital two or more times in the last year for symptom control; d) there are often urgent calls to the doctor; e) your loved one mentions that maybe s/he should stop curative treatments; f) the family has private conversations with the doctor about how long s/he might have to live.
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