Why Hospice 

• The focus of hospice is to keep patients as comfortable as possible, with full attention being given to managing any symptom such as pain or nausea that may be making a patient uncomfortable.
• Hospice not only focuses on the patient, but it focuses on family members and other caregivers as well. Hospice recognizes that it is not always the patient who is suffering, and that loved ones and caregivers need support and care as well.
• Hospice is not only nursing care. It includes nurse’s aides to assist with personal care such as bathing and shaving. It includes social workers that can help with counseling and end of life planning, and it includes spiritual support to those who need and want it.
• Volunteers are a major component of hospice. They are available for visits with patients to read, play games, or just visit. They give caregivers time to go shopping or go to church or a movie or just to get away from patient care for a time.
• For patients who have Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance plans, hospice pays for all medications relating to the patient’s terminal condition, any medical equipment such as a wheelchair or hospital bed that may be necessary, and most medical supplies at no cost to the patient. This can potentially be a tremendous savings for anyone entitled to the Medicare benefit.
• Hospice can also be provided to patients in nursing homes. You may ask why hospice services would be needed when nurses and aides in a nursing home are already caring for some one. The answer is easy. Hospice nurses are specially trained in pain management and have education and experience in symptom management that the nurses in nursing homes may not have. Hospice is not a substitute for nursing home care, it is a supplement to nursing home care and maximizes the care your loved one can receive. If your loved one is a Medicare patient, they may no longer be charged by the nursing home for certain medications and supplies, once they become a hospice patient, which is of benefit, too. Finally, hospice provides a second set of eyes, ears, and hands, which is beneficial in any environment.