Frequently Asked Questions

Hospice care refers to a specialized care option for people with life-limiting conditions, such as a terminal illness. 

Hospice focuses on caring and bringing comfort. The primary goal is to provide support and assistance to patients and their families by offering a wide range of holistic services that can add quality to their lives. Such services focus on improving the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of patients.

Some examples of hospice services include:

• Basic medical services and equipment to help relieve pain and manage other symptoms (e.g. medicine administration).
• Assistance with activities of daily living (e.g. eating, bathing) and instrumental activities of daily living (e.g. running errands).
• Companionship, emotional support, and supervision if needed.
• Physical, occupational, speech, and psychological therapy services.
• Spiritual care from hospice chaplains or spiritual counselors.

Additionally, hospice care is not limited to the needs of the patient alone. It also provides comfort and emotional support to the family members, even after the patient’s passing. 

Doctors recommend hospice care to individuals with a terminal illness who have a life expectancy of six months or less. Generally, physicians follow a particular set of guidelines to identify if a terminally ill patient qualifies for hospice care.

Some of these qualifications are as follows:

• The patient has a worsening health condition characterized by the following: frequent hospitalizations, a drastic drop in nutritional status, decreased physical ability, and mental cognition.
• The patient’s body is not responding to the treatments being administered.
• The patient has a PPS (palliative performance scale) of 50% to 70%.

Doctors may also recommend hospice care to patients with life-limiting conditions who want to forgo the continuation of treatments and focus on pain management and comfort instead.

Patients, their loved ones, and primary healthcare providers can discuss thoroughly and decide whether or not to go on hospice care. Additionally, these people closely associated with the patient’s care may also refer a patient to hospice care services.

Hospice care should be considered when a limited-life prognosis is identified. A terminally ill patient and their loved ones should be afforded the time and attention necessary to deal with the coming months, often a patient’s primary doctor will recommend it. 

It is essential to know that choosing hospice care should happen soon after a patient gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. These early discussions will help the patient and their loved ones to fully understand hospice and its overall benefits and allow care to be established quickly.

Hospice services can be provided in various places based on the patient’s medical needs and situation. It can occur in the patient’s home, senior living facility, nursing home, hospital, or hospice facility.

Hospice care agencies employ a team of skilled care aides and healthcare professionals to provide hospice services. Your loved one’s care team will consist of the following:

• Nurses
• Doctors
• Home health aides
• Spiritual counselors
• Pharmacists
• Social Workers
• Volunteers
• Bereavement Counselors
• Other professionals

These trained individuals can provide 24/7 care and support to your loved one wherever and whenever needed. They may offer hospice services and visitation schedules based on the program your loved one is in.

Yes.

In fact, most hospice care is provided at the patient’s home, where the patient feels comfortable and at ease.

Yes.

Patients who require hospice care can get financial relief and assistance (up to 100%) from Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, VA benefits, and Medicaid. Private insurance companies also cover hospice services depending on the client’s specific policy.

Medicare does provide coverage for almost all hospice care services. However, you may have a copay for specific prescription drugs needed and the cost of hospice care provided in a facility, such as private room expenses.

If you still have questions about various insurance coverages or affording hospice care services, we can help. Please contact Cardinal Hospice today.

• Bay City office (989) 401-8033
• Oxford office (248) 572-6690

Yes.

Physical, medical, mental, emotional, and spiritual care is available around the clock: 24 hours per day, seven days a week, (24/7) on both scheduled and on-call basis.

Yes.

Your loved one’s primary doctor and other healthcare providers directly associated with their care can still be involved in their hospice program and plan of care. Your loved one’s care team will coordinate with these professionals to ensure that the patient’s medical needs (as well as other physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs) are taken care of.

Hospice takes care of a patient’s overall health and well-being for as long as needed, until their passing or until their condition improves. According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, a patient may also get discharged from hospice care for the following reasons:

• The patient is no longer terminally ill based on their doctor’s current health assessment (e.g. their condition improves and stabilizes).
• The patients want to end their hospice care for specific reasons (e.g. they want to resume treatment).

Routine home care hospice service is the most common level of hospice care. It’s not required that it be provided in the patient’s home, but rather wherever they are currently located.

Care follows a defined individual care plan that is created and carried out by doctors, nurses, hospice aides, chaplains, social workers, and others.

General inpatient hospice care service is care provided in a hospital, hospice facility, or other inpatient setting, usually on a short-term basis. It is typically provided to patients who require more intensive medical care than can be provided within the home.

Continuous home care service is an intense level of short-term hospice care provided during a period of crisis. It is similar to inpatient care service, but the patient remains home rather than moving to a hospital or other facility.

Respite care service is short-term inpatient care provided to the patient for the purpose of relieving the patient’s family and other caregivers from the ongoing demands of caregiving. It provides the patient with a consistently high level of quality care while allowing the primary caregiver a much-needed break.

Palliative care is specialized medical care that is focused on relieving the symptoms of those dealing with life-limiting illnesses. The goal is to improve the quality of life for the patient as well as their loved ones.