Common Questions
Hospice and Palliative care options can often become confusing - but they don't need to be. The following frequently asked questions may help you with concerns or issue you may be dealing with. Please do not hesitate to contact us directly with any questions.
1. What is Hospice?
2. Why is Hospice Care important?
3. What is the Hospice focus?
4. What makes Hospice special?
5. What services does the hospice provide?
6. Who are the members of the hospice team?
7. Where is care provided?
8. Who pays for hospice programs?
9. Is hospice only for elderly people?
10. What are advance directives?
11. What are some of the services volunteers provide?
12. How can I become a hospice volunteer?
13. What services does hospice include?
14. When should patients and
families consider hospice?
15. Doesn't accepting hospice care mean giving up?
16. How is hospice different from other medical care?
17. Who pays for hospice care?
18. What are the different levels of hospice care?
19. What if I choose hospice care and then live more than six months?
20. What if my condition improves?
21. How does hospice manage pain and other symptoms?
22. Don't pain control medications make people feel "doped up?"
23. What kinds of emotional and spiritual support does hospice provide?
Common Questions About Hospice Care
1. What is Hospice?
It’s a special way of caring for people with terminal illness and their families. Hospice treats the whole person.
2. Why is Hospice Care important?
Because it provides many benefits that are not possible in a traditional
health-care setting. Hospice means: a coming together with family and greater
control for patients.
3. What is the Hospice focus?
Hospice focuses on the unique needs of patients and families. Giving
special attention to: Physical needs, Social needs, Emotional needs, and
Spiritual needs.
4. What makes Hospice special?
Hospice is special because it concentrates on care-not cure. Hospice
emphasizes: Pain control, Living life fully, Care at home, Treating patients
and loved ones as a unit.
5. What services does the hospice provide?
A “TEAM” provides care, Family and friends learn care techniques,
Help is always available, Bereavements counseling is provided.
6. Who are the members of the hospice team?
A hospice coordinator or director, Physicians (Medical Director), Nurses,
Chaplains, Social Workers, Volunteers, Dietitian, Home Health Aides, Counselors,
Pharmacist, and Therapist (physical, occupational, etc.)
7. Where is care provided?
In a setting that best suits the needs of the patient and caregivers.
Care may be provided: Home, An inpatient facility, Combination of places.
8. Who pays for hospice programs?
Hospice services are usually paid for by: Medicare, Medicaid, Private
Insurance carriers, hospice accepts patients based on their health needs-not
their ability to pay.
9. Is hospice only for elderly people?
People of all ages may receive hospice care.
10. What are advance directives?
They’re documents that allow the patient to state what kind of medical
treatment they want or don’t want in the event that they become unable
to communicate their wishes.
11. What are some of the services volunteers provide?
Volunteers may help patients and families directly with chores, and companionship.
Support is a very important part of being a hospice volunteer.
12. How can I become a hospice volunteer?
Contact Agape Hospice by filling out the form on the web site. You may
be required to: have an interview, complete a training program.
13. What services does hospice include?
Hospice includes the services of an interdisciplinary team of healthcare
professionals:
- Physicians - Our Medical Directors work with your personal physician to build a comprehensive team of medical professionals who specialize in controlling pain and other symptoms of serious illness. Working together, our team develops a plan of care that is right for each patient's individual situation and needs.
- Nurses - nurses are experts at managing the needs of each patient and can serve as a valuable resource in educating family members on how to assist in caring for their loved one. Our specially trained and experienced nurses develop and manage a specialized plan of care for each patient, focusing on the patient's individual needs and providing compassionate support to the entire family.
- Certified Nurse Assistants & Home Health Aides - These members of the team provide personal care and help the patient and family with activities of daily living. They also provide companionship and valuable emotional support.
- Social Workers - Our team of social workers coordinates community resources and helps the patient and family with non-medical concerns. The social workers can help comfort and give support to family members, plan for the future, assist with making financial arrangements and ease other emotional difficulties.
- Chaplains - These individuals work to help patients and families cope with spiritual questions and concerns, either directly or by coordinating services with the patient's and family's spiritual counselors.
- Bereavement Coordinators - has personnel available to help patients and families deal with grief through each phase of the process.
- Volunteers - These team members provide companionship and emotional support and offer help in a variety of ways.
- Hospice also provides medications, medical equipment and supplies necessary to promote comfort at home or in other hospice settings. Hospice staff are available at all times, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
14. When should patients and families consider hospice?
After a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness, patients and their families
should consider their choices for care. A patient does not have to be
bed-bound or critically ill to be admitted to hospice. A representative
will be happy to talk with you about the hospice benefit.
15. Doesn't accepting hospice care mean giving up?
Hospice involves acknowledging that most diseases in their advanced form
cannot be cured. It does not mean giving up hope. Hope is found in helping
the patient and family achieve the highest possible level of physical
comfort and peace of mind. Many hospice companies require patients to
be "ready" for the end of life before receiving services. ?.
Hope means different things to different people, and we will walk by your
side on the journey to live out what hope means to you.
16. How is hospice different from other medical care?
Hospice is focused on all of the patient's and family's needs. A coordinated
team of hospice professionals, assisted by volunteers, works to meet the
patient's and family's emotional and spiritual needs, along with the patient's
physical needs.
The emphasis is on controlling pain and symptoms through the most advanced
techniques available and on emotional and spiritual support tailored to
the needs of the patient and family.
Hospice recognizes that a serious illness affects the entire family as
well as the person who is ill. The family, not just the patient, is the "unit
of care" for hospice professionals. Sometimes other family members
actually need more attention than the patient.
17. Who pays for hospice care?
Hospice is covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid..
The Medicare hospice benefit covers costs related to the terminal illness,
including the services of the hospice team, medication, medical equipment
and supplies. Medicare reimburses for different levels of hospice care (see
below) recognizing that sometimes patients require special attention.
- Medications. The Medicare hospice benefit covers medications needed to treat the patient's terminal illness. we will order the medications for you, and you can get them from the pharmacy or arrange for delivery. Medications for a condition not related to the terminal illness -- allergy medication, for example -- are not covered by the hospice benefit.
- Medical supplies. The physician and nurse will work with the family to determine which medical supplies and equipment the patient needs. we will order the equipment and have it delivered to the home.
18. What are the different levels of hospice care?
- Routine Home Care - We believe in bringing care to wherever you call home, and we strive to provide an environment of care that is comfortable for our patients and their families. Often, this means providing care in the patient's own home, and our team of professionals schedule regular home visits to ensure that medical, social, and emotional needs are met.
- Inpatient Care - If pain or symptoms cannot be controlled at home, the patient might be taken to a hospital or other inpatient care center. When the symptoms are under control, the patient can return home.
- Respite Care - Many patients have their own caregivers, often family members. When caregivers need a rest from their care giving responsibilities, patients can stay in a hospital or other inpatient care center for up to five days.
- Continuous Care - Sometimes a patient has a medical crisis that needs close medical attention. When this happens, we can arrange for inpatient care, or staff can provide round-the-clock care in the home. When the crisis is over, the patient can return to routine care in the home.
19. What if I choose hospice care and then live more than six months?
Hospice care does not automatically end after six months. Medicare and
most other insurers will continue to pay for hospice care as long as a
physician certifies that the patient continues to have a limited life
expectancy.
20. What if my condition improves?
Occasionally, the quality of care provided by Hospice leads to substantially
improved health. When this happens, we will transfer care to a non-hospice
care provider. Later, if the patient becomes eligible for hospice, the
patient can re-elect the hospice benefit. There is no penalty for getting
better!
21. How does hospice manage pain and other symptoms?
Hospice physicians and nurses are experts at pain and symptom control.
They are continually developing new protocols for keeping patients comfortable
and as alert and independent as possible. They know which medications
to use singly and in combination to provide the best results for each
patient.
22. Don't pain control medications make people feel "doped up?"
When morphine and other pain control medications are administered properly
for medical reasons, patients find much-needed relief without getting "high" or
craving drugs. The result is that hospice patients often remain more alert
and active because they are not exhausted by uncontrolled symptoms.
What kinds of emotional and spiritual support does hospice provide?
Hospice recognizes that people are more than a collection of symptoms.
People nearing the end of their lives often face enormous emotional
and spiritual distress. They are dismayed as their physical abilities
begin
to fail. They don't want to be a burden on their families. They worry
how their loved ones will manage without them. Sometimes, they feel
deep regret about things they have done or said - or things left undone
and
unsaid. Hospice professionals and volunteers are trained to be active
listeners and to help patients and families work through some of these
concerns so that they can find peace and emotional comfort in their
final days.