What is hospice, and what does it actually provide?
The short answer
Hospice is care for someone whose illness can no longer be cured and whose doctor expects about six months or less if the illness runs its usual course. The focus moves to comfort and quality of life instead of a cure. A team comes to wherever your loved one lives, and Medicare covers it for people who qualify.
General information, not medical advice. Your hospice team knows your person and can answer for your situation.
Where does hospice happen?
Hospice is a kind of care, not a place. It usually comes to your loved one's home, including a nursing home or assisted living. Some people stay in a hospice unit or hospital for a short time when symptoms are hard to manage.
Who is on the hospice team?
Your loved one and your family are part of the team. The others usually include:
- A hospice doctor, who can work alongside your person's regular doctor
- Nurses, who visit, manage pain and symptoms, and teach you what to watch for
- Hospice aides, who help with bathing and personal care
- A social worker, who helps with planning, paperwork, and family stress
- A chaplain or spiritual counselor, if your family wants one
- Trained volunteers, who can sit with your person or give you a break
A hospice nurse and doctor are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What is included?
Medicare covers the care your team plans with you for the terminal illness. That can include:
- Nurse and aide visits
- Medicines for pain and symptoms
- Equipment like a hospital bed, wheelchair, or walker, and supplies like bandages
- Short inpatient stays for symptoms that can't be managed at home
- Respite care, so a family caregiver can rest for up to 5 days at a time
- Grief support for the family, available for up to a year after the death
What hospice is not
Hospice is not giving up. Your person still gets care, just aimed at comfort. Medicine for other conditions, like blood pressure, can continue if it helps.
Hospice is also not round-the-clock care at home. The team visits on a schedule, and family or hired caregivers do most of the daily care.
And it is not only for the last few days. Starting earlier may give months of support.
Who qualifies, and how do you start?
For Medicare to pay, your person needs Medicare Part A. Their doctor and the hospice doctor must certify a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course. Your person also chooses comfort care instead of treatment to cure the illness, and signs a form electing hospice.
To start, talk with your person's doctor. You can also find Medicare-approved hospices near you on Medicare's Care Compare site.
Sources
- Medicare.gov, Hospice care: medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care
- CMS, Medicare Hospice Benefits (booklet 02154): medicare.gov/publications/02154-medicare-hospice-benefits.pdf
- National Institute on Aging, What are palliative care and hospice care?: nia.nih.gov/health/hospice-and-palliative-care/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care
- CMS, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 9: cms.gov/regulations-and-guidance/guidance/manuals/downloads/bp102c09.pdf
Educational information only. This article is not medical, legal, or financial advice, and it can't account for your person's health or your state's rules. Always talk with your hospice team, doctor, or Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE) about your situation. If you think it's an emergency, call your hospice's 24-hour number or 911.