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Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should a decision about entering a hospice program be made, and who should make it?
2. Should I wait for our physician to raise the possibility of hospice, or should I raise it first?
3. Doesn't hospice mean giving up and losing hope?
4. How long can someone receive hospice care?
5. Can a hospice patient who shows signs of recovery be returned to regular medical treatment?
6. What is involved in the hospice admission process?
7. Does hospice do anything to make death come sooner?
8. What specific assistance does hospice provide for home-based patients?
9. Is there any special equipment or changes I have to make in my home before hospice care begins?
10. Is the home the only place hospice care can be delivered?
11. Why does a patient need hospice when he or she is already receiving care in a nursing home?
12. How does hospice manage pain?
13. Will medications prevent the patient from being able to talk or know what’s happening?
14. Is hospice affiliated with any religious organization?
15. How is hospice care paid for?
16. What is not paid for by Medicare in relation to hospice services?
17. If the patient is not covered by Medicare or any other health insurance, will hospice still provide care?
18. Does hospice provide any help to the family after the patient dies?
1. When should a decision about entering a hospice program be made,
and who should make it?
It is appropriate to discuss all of a patient’s care options,
including hospice, at any time during a life-limiting illness. By
law the decision belongs to the patient. Understandably, most people
are uncomfortable with the idea of stopping interventions to “beat”
their disease. Hospice staff members are highly sensitive to these
concerns and are always available to discuss them with the patient,
family and physician.
2. Should I wait for our physician to raise the possibility of
hospice, or should I raise it first?
The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at
any time with their physician, other healthcare professionals,
clergy or friends.
3.
Doesn't hospice mean giving up and losing hope?
No. Hospice is about providing a different kind of medical care,
with a different kind of hope. Hospice is about providing comfort
and dignity both for the person who is terminally ill and for the
family and extended circle. Hospice care is generally initiated only
after other medical options are exhausted or no longer deemed
appropriate.
4. How long
can someone receive hospice care?
Hospice care can be received as long as the doctor and hospice
medical director certify that the patient is terminally ill and most
likely has six months or less to live if the disease runs its normal
course. A person can receive hospice care longer than six months as
long as the hospice medical director recertifies that the patient is
terminally ill.
5. Can a hospice patient who shows signs of recovery be returned to
regular medical treatment?
Yes. If improvement in the condition occurs and the disease seems to
be in remission, the patient can be discharged from hospice and can
return to aggressive therapy or resume his or her normal daily life.
If a discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care,
Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance will allow additional
coverage for this purpose.
6.
What is involved in the hospice admission process?
One of the first things hospice will do is contact the patient’s
physician to make sure the physician agrees that hospice care is
appropriate for the patient at this time. The patient or the legal
medical decision-maker will also be asked to sign consent and
admission forms.
The consent form states that the patient understands that the care
is palliative (that is, aimed at pain relief and symptom control)
rather than curative. It also outlines the services available. The
form Medicare patients sign also indicates the effect that electing
the Medicare hospice benefit may have on other Medicare coverage for
a terminal illness.
7.
Does hospice do anything to make death come sooner?
Hospice does nothing either to speed up or to slow down the dying
process. Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise
during the time of child birth, hospice provides its presence and
specialized knowledge during the dying process.
8. What specific assistance does hospice provide for home-based
patients?
Hospice patients are cared for by a team of doctors, nurses, social
workers, counselors, home health aides, chaplains, therapists, and
volunteers – and each provides assistance based on his or her area
of expertise. In addition, hospices help provide medications,
supplies, and equipment as appropriate.
Hospice staff members visit regularly and are available 24 hours per
day, seven days per week to answer questions and provide support.
While family and friends must be relied on to provide most of the
basic daily care, hospice can also provide volunteers to assist with
errands and to provide a break and time away for major caregivers.
9. Is there any special equipment or changes I have to make in my
home before hospice care begins?
Hospice staff will assess your needs, recommend any necessary
equipment, and help make arrangements to obtain it. Often the need
for equipment is minimal at first and increases as the disease
progresses. In general, hospice will assist in any way it can to
make home care as convenient and safe as possible.
10. Is the home the only place hospice care can be delivered?
No. Hospice services are delivered in personal residences, nursing
homes or assisted living facilities.
11. Why does a patient need hospice when he or she is already
receiving care in a nursing home?
The hospice benefit was designed to provide patients with additional
supportive care and services beyond the routine care provided by the
nursing home staff. This is accomplished by hospice providing
additional expertise in the areas of pain control and symptom
management, grief support, and spiritual care. Hospice has the
ability to spend more individualized and in depth time with the
patient and their loved ones. Additionally, hospice provides
bereavement services for up to 13 months following the death of the
patient.
12. How does hospice manage pain?
Hospice nurses and doctors are experienced in the latest medications
and equipment for pain and symptom relief. Hospice also believes
that emotional and spiritual pain are just as real and in need of
attention as physical pain, so it addresses these, as well.
Counselors, including chaplains, are available to assist loved ones
as well as patients.
Using a combination of medications, counseling and therapies, most
patients can attain a level of comfort that is acceptable to them.
The goal is to provide symptom management and pain control so that
patients can live as fully and actively as possible at the end of
their life.
13. Will medications prevent the patient from being able to talk or
know what’s happening?
Usually not. It is the goal of hospice to help patients be as
comfortable and alert as possible. By constantly consulting with the
patient, hospices have been very successful in reaching this goal.
14. Is hospice affiliated with any religious organization?
No. Hospice serves anyone who is eligible for services, regardless
of religious values, practices or beliefs.
15. How is hospice care paid for?
Hospice coverage is widely available. It may be covered by Medicare,
Medicaid, and by most private health insurance policies. To confirm
coverage, patients should check with their employer or health
insurance provider.
16. What is not paid for by Medicare in relation to hospice
services?
When you choose hospice care, Medicare will not pay for: treatment
intended to cure the terminal illness, prescription drugs used to
cure the illness rather than for symptom control or pain relief,
care from any provider that was not set up by the hospice team, or
room and board in a nursing home or assisted living facility.
17. If the patient is not covered by Medicare or any other health
insurance, will hospice still provide care?
The first thing hospice will do is assist families in determining
whether the patient is eligible for any coverage which they may not
be aware of. Regardless, hospice will provide care for those who
cannot pay, using money contributed by the community. No one is
turned away due to inability to pay for services.
18. Does hospice provide any help to the family after the patient
dies?
Hospice provides continuing contact and support for family and
significant others for at least 13 months following the death of a
loved one. This may include individual counseling, family
counseling, or support groups for anyone in the community who has
experienced the death of a family member, a friend, or a loved one.
For More Information
303-766-7600
Beth Nehamah Hospice
14800 E. Belleview Drive
Aurora, CO 80015
303-766-7600
info@bethnehamah.net
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