What are some of the benefits for hospice care?

Many: There are many benefits from active pain control to social supports for the family as well as the patient. My experience with hospice workers has been that they are extremely compassionate and caring and very responsive to the patient and family members. They can help patients stay in their home environment which is often what they want.

Benefits abound: Not only are the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs met for the individual enrolled in hospice care; but medicare and most insurances provide 1005 financial coverage for care related to the hospice diagnosis. Medicines, supplies, durable medical equipment (oxygen, wheelchairs, hospital beds, etc) are usually covered. One important caveat is that room and board in a nursing home is not.

Hospice services: All hospices deliver a similar set of services. They include nursing, assistance with caregivers on a limited basis, chaplaincy, bereavement counseling, social worker and physician care (medical director in many cases). You are covered for many services and this includes medications related to your terminal diagnosis. The hospice team is there to help you transition in the last phase of life.

End of life care.: Hospice is meant for those who seemingly at the end of life, although that end can still be many months away. The emphasis of hospice care is not trying to save the life, but to give comfort to the individual as their death approaches.

Hospice is a concept: Hospice is a concept, not a place and not a specific service. The idea is to keep a person in the least restrictive environment to allow an individual to retain control of their independence. Therefore any service from spiritual counseling to IV medications are services offered by Hospice organizations. The focus of hospice is high touch and low tech. Dr. Kirsh