What Is Hospice?
Has someone you love recently started hospice care?
Has your doctor suggested hospice care for you due to a serious illness?
Your mind is probably filled with questions. And perhaps a few misconceptions or common myths about hospice.
Things like…
Hospice is only for people who are giving up. People die faster in a hospice. Or, hospice is only for people with cancer.
None of these are true. And believing them could prevent you or your loved one from getting the help that’s available.
So let’s start with the facts.
What Is Hospice?
Hospice provides care to those who have a terminal, or life-limiting illnesses. It includes physical, psychosocial, and spiritual care, for both the person dying, and their family.
Hospice care begins when someone has six months or less to live.
Hospice provides care to those who have a terminal, or life-limiting illnesses. It includes physical, emotional, and spiritual care, for both the person dying, and their family.
What Does Hospice Do?
Hospice helps improve your quality of life.
People in hospice are able to spend more quality time with friends and family, doing more of the things they enjoy.
Hospice care helps with pain management, diet and nutritional needs, and emotional support. It even provides support and care for family members and loved ones.
On the other hand, hospice is not curative. In other words, when you getting hospice care, you’re not seeking a cure for your disease or diagnosis.
It’s also important to know that hospice does not speed up or slow down the dying process.
What is Involved With Hospice Care?
Hospice provides pain relief and help for those who only have months to live.
Hospice doesn’t just help with physical needs. It also helps with emotional and spiritual needs as well.
Some examples of hospice services include:
- Managing pain
- Providing support and care for family members
- Counseling and emotional support
- Help with bathing, dressing and eating
- Giving medication to help control symptoms
- Help finding services that can help the patient and family
- Giving family, and those caring for the patient, a break
Hospice makes it possible for many to get help in their own homes instead of in a hospital.
Does Hospice Help People with Cancer?
Yes. Hospice does help people with cancer, but it also helps those who have other illnesses including:
- Strokes
- The final stages of lung, heart and kidney diseases
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Dementia
- AIDS
- Parkinson’s disease
How Does Hospice Work?
To get hospice care, you or someone you know must have six months or less to live.
You need to have someone refer you to a hospice. But anyone can make a referral.
This includes doctors, nurses, family members, and even yourself.
After you have a referral, someone from the hospice care center, or provider, will call you. They will ask what kind of help you need.
Then hospice will work with other health care workers to get you or your loved one the help you need. These people will be your hospice care team.
A hospice care team usually includes:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Social workers
- Home health aids
- Chaplains
- Financial advisers
- Volunteers
It’s easy to find a hospice near you. You can ask your doctor or nurse, or simply do a quick Google search.
We can also help you get connected to a hospice in your area.
But what if you can’t pay for hospice?
You shouldn’t worry about paying for hospice. Insurance will usually cover it.
There are also nonprofit hospices located throughout the country that are ready to help.
Being a non-profit means they are able to assist you, even if you can’t pay. This is important to know when you are deciding what hospice to use.
Is Hospice a Religious Service?
No. Hospice is a health care service.
Some hospices were started by religious organizations, and some have religious affiliations. However, that does not mean that hospice is connected to a particular religion.
Hospices care for people of all faiths, and even those who are not religious.
Hospices usually have chaplains because, for many people, it helps them to have someone of faith to talk to when faced with a terminal illness.
Hospices care for anyone with six months or less to live.
Hospice doesn’t just help with physical needs. It also helps with emotional and spiritual needs as well.
Is There More Than One Hospice?
Yes. There are thousands of hospices across the United States! There are 4,300 hospice groups, which serve more than one million hospice patients.
Some of them are for-profit hospices. Others are non-profit hospices. Again, the main difference is that a non-profit hospice will help you even if you can’t pay them.
Do You Have More Questions About Hospice?
We have a lot of information on this site that can help you. We’re also adding new content and answering new questions regularly.
Take a few minutes to read answers to some frequently asked questions about hospice.
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