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Ten Things
You May Not Know About Hospice

Most Americans have heard about
hospice care. They know that
hospices care for people at the end of life. Most people know a family or
friend who was helped by hospice when faced with the serious illness and death
of a loved one. But there’s so
much more to know.

For example, did you know that
hospice provides what the majority of Americans say they want at the end of
life? Excellent pain management,
comfort, and support for the patient and family caregivers.

Ten more things you should know about hospice:

Hospice
is not a place but a special kind of care.

A
hospice care team is made up of doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors,
spiritual care providers, trained volunteers and other skilled professionals who
provide high-quality, compassionate care.

Hospice
care is available to people of all ages with any kind of life-limiting illness,
including cancer, advanced Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, lung disease,
kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and other life-limiting illnesses.

Hospice
care is fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans and
HMOs.

Hospice
provides all medications and medical equipment needed to keep a person safe and
comfortable.

There’s
no limit to the amount of hospice care a person can receive; it’s available as
long as a doctor believes a patient is eligible.

Most
care is provided at home but hospice is also available in nursing homes,
assisted living and long term care facilities and hospice inpatient units.