FAQ

While the primary goal of healthcare is to cure disease, there are times when it is no longer possible. When the focus of care shifts from cure to comfort, hospice offers the expert medical care and human compassion needed by patients and families. As pain is relieved and symptoms are kept under control, the patient is better able to participate in daily life with family and friends. If you think it is time to emphasize comfort over cure, hospice offers hope. The choice for hospice is not an easy one, but can be the right one. Many of our families tell us they wish they had known about hospice sooner.

Hospice palliative care services are available to patients and their families who have an advanced illness with a limited life-expectancy. Hospice provides you with palliative care, to help ensure that every moment counts for a terminally ill patient. You and your family decide together when hospice care should begin. Financial coverage is available through the Hospice Medicare Benefit and many private insurance corn-ponies: No person shall be denied services based on age, race, national origin, disease, handicap, religion, gender, color, or sexual orientation.

Hospice is a form of care tailored specifically for the needs of individuals and families facing a life-limiting illness. A diverse medical care team works together to manage pain, increase comfort, and support every aspect of a patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The goal of Hospice Care is to help people live their last days with respect, peace and dignity.

Many patients may have pain and other serious symptoms as their illness progresses. The care team receives special training to care for all types of physical and emotional symptoms that cause pain, discomfort, and distress. Since keeping the patient comfortable and pain-free is an important part of hospice care, many hospice programs have developed ways to measure the patient’s level of comfort during their hospice stay. The care team works with the patient’s physician to ensure that medication, therapies, and procedures are designed to achieve the goals outlined in the patient’s care plan. The care plan is reviewed and updated frequently to reflect new goals and changes.