FAQ About Hospice & Palliative Care

  • Specialized care services for patients that include symptom management, emotional support, spiritual support and psychosocial intervention.
  • Addressing issues most important to the patient’s needs and wants at the end of their life focusing on improving the individual’s quality of life.
  • Must have a diagnosis of a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less.
  • Comfort, care and symptom management become the primary focus.
  • Curative treatment is no longer the focus of treatment.
  • Cancer
  • COPD
  • End Stage Renal Disease
  • Liver Disease
  • Stroke and Coma
  • Advanced Alzheimer’s
  • HIV
  • Not limited to any other diagnosis that is deemed to be terminal for that patient.
  • Patient’s home/Caregiver’s home
  • Nursing Home
  • Assisted living facility
  • End of life care facility (Aurora House, Comfort House)
  • Any location where patient may received 24/7 care
  • Yes
  • Plan and prepare for the time in a patient’s illness when 24 hour a day will be required.
  • No
  • Hospice provides intermittent nursing visits to assess, monitor.
  • Hospice team members are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions or visit at any time if the need for support arises.
  • Yes, a patient may leave hospice and return to curative treatment if that is their choice
  • Patients may always return to Hospice when eligible.
  • Many symptoms may be managed at home by the hospice team.
  • At times patients may require a short hospital stay to stabilize the symptom and then the patient is/may be able to return home or to the hospital facility.
  • Qualifying DME equipment
  • Hospital beds, oxygen, incontinent supplies
  • Medications – all medications related to disease process
  • Access to team of medical professionals
  • Medicare/Medicaid when eligible
  • Insurance when eligible