Hospice care is a compassionate approach designed to provide comfort and support for loved ones facing a terminal illness, as well as their families. It emphasizes quality of life and dignity, focusing on holistic care that addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Exactly What is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is specialized medical care for people nearing the end of life. The primary goal is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families, rather than focusing on curative treatments. Hospice care is typically provided when a patient is no longer seeking aggressive treatment and has a prognosis of six months or less to live.
What are the Four Levels of Hospice Care?
- Routine Home Care:
Your family and/or loved ones care for you at home, and you receive
regular visits from hospice care providers.
- General Inpatient (GIP) Care:
You receive hospice care in a facility because you have pain or other
symptoms that can’t be managed at home.
- Continuous Home Care:
You receive more intensive, short-term support at home to manage a symptom crisis. This care is for people who qualify for GIP and wish to remain at home.
- Respite Care:
You receive short-term temporary hospice care in a facility to give your
caregivers a well-deserved break.
Your hospice team will determine the most appropriate level of care for you –
which may change as your needs change.
49.1 %
Proportion of Medicare decedents in 2022 who were served by hospice.
Source: MedPac March 2024 Report to Congress, Table 9-2
Key Components of Hospice Care
- Interdisciplinary Team:
Hospice care is delivered by a team that includes doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and trained volunteers. This multidisciplinary approach ensures comprehensive support tailored to the individual’s needs.
- Pain and Symptom Management:
One of the core components of hospice care is effective pain management and symptom control. This can include medications, therapies, and holistic practices to enhance comfort and alleviate distressing symptoms.
- Emotional and Spiritual Support:
Recognizing the emotional toll of terminal illness, hospice care provides counseling and spiritual support for patients and their families. This holistic approach helps address fears, anxieties, and existential questions.
- Family Involvement:
Hospice care encourages family involvement in care decisions and provides support to family members. This includes respite care for caregivers, helping them manage the stress of caregiving.
- Grief Support:
After a patient’s passing, hospice programs often provide bereavement support to help families cope with their loss. This can include counseling, support groups,
and resources to assist in the grieving process.
Key Statistics
- Prevalence of Hospice Care:
According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), approximately 1.6 million patients received hospice care in the United States in 2021. This number has steadily increased as awareness of hospice services grows.
- Typical Patients:
The majority of hospice patients are aged 65 or older, with the most common diagnoses including cancer, heart disease, and dementia. However, hospice services are available to individuals of all ages and conditions.
- Length of Stay:
On average, hospice patients receive care for about 90 days, although many enroll much later in their illness. Early access to hospice care can significantly improve the quality of life.
- Impact on Family Caregivers:
Research shows that families of hospice patients report lower levels of stress and anxiety compared to those caring for individuals without hospice support.
This highlights the crucial role hospice plays in supporting not just patients,
but also their families.
What’s the Difference Between Hospice Care and Palliative Care?
Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for people with serious illnesses. You can receive palliative care at any stage of a serious illness alongside curative treatments. The goal is to relieve physical, emotional, social and spiritual difficulties that can occur with a serious illness.
Hospice focuses on comfort and providing an extra layer of support when the prognosis is measured in months instead of years. Hospice is wise when curative treatments are no longer helping or when a person chooses to no longer pursue treatment for their disease. With hospice, the primary goal is comfort.
Benefits of Hospice Care
- Enhanced Quality of Life:
Studies indicate that patients who receive hospice care experience less pain, improved symptom management, and a higher quality of life in their final days compared to those who pursue aggressive treatment.
- Patient and Family Satisfaction:
Surveys show that families of hospice patients report high satisfaction with the care received, citing the compassionate approach and comprehensive support provided by hospice teams.
- Cost-Effectiveness:
Hospice care can also be more cost-effective than aggressive treatment, as it reduces hospitalizations and emergency care costs. A study by the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found that hospice care saves an average of $2,300 per patient compared to traditional care.
- Focus on Dignity and Choice:
Hospice empowers patients to make decisions about their care. This can include choices about where to receive care, what treatments to pursue or decline,
and how to spend their final days.
What DOESN’T Hospice Care Provide?
As you make end-of-life arrangements and consider the benefits of hospice care, it’s also important to understand what hospice doesn’t provide:
- Curative Care:
Hospice care is about keeping you comfortable and helping you have the best possible quality of life when curative treatments are no longer helping. It does not provide treatment to cure your illness. If you change your mind and decide to pursue treatment, you can stop receiving hospice care. Some people resume treatment because a new medicine to cure or improve their illness becomes available.
- Room and Board:
Hospice care is not a substitute for the around-the-clock care of a residential living facility like a nursing home. You can receive hospice care anywhere you call home – your own home, a nursing facility, a hospice care facility, or an assisted living facility. Care in a facility may require you to pay out-of-pocket. Check with your insurance plan if you’re interested in moving into a facility but are unsure of the costs.
- Ongoing, Around-the-Clock Care:
The care you receive depends on various factors, like where you live, your condition, and your insurance. Typically, while hospice care professionals are on standby 24/7 to answer your medical questions, they don’t provide direct hands-on care around the clock over a long period. Instead, they’ll visit you regularly. Most people receiving hospice care at home have family members or friends who care for them full-time.
Misconceptions About Hospice Care
- It’s Only for the Last Days of Life:
One common misconception is that hospice care is only for people who are actively dying. In reality, hospice care can be initiated if a patient has a prognosis of six months or less, regardless of the specific stage of illness.
- It Means Giving Up:
Hospice focuses on maximizing quality of life and can provide a sense of peace and acceptance, allowing patients to engage meaningfully with their loved ones.
- Hospice is Only for Cancer Patients:
While a significant number of hospice patients have cancer, hospice care is appropriate for a wide range of terminal illnesses, including neurological diseases, heart failure, respiratory diseases, and more.
Where to Find Reliable Hospice Care
- Consult Healthcare Providers: If you or a loved one has a terminal illness, the first step is to discuss hospice care options with healthcare providers. They can offer insights into eligibility and make referrals to hospice programs.
- Research Local Hospice Organizations: Many communities have multiple hospice providers. Research local options and ask about their services, philosophies, and support offerings.
- Inquire About Coverage: Medicare, Medicaid, and many private insurers cover hospice care. Understanding the financial aspects is essential to making informed decisions about care.
- Ask for recommendations from doctors, nursing homes, friends, family members, and anyone who has experience with hospice care.
- Look at Care Compare on the Medicare site. Hospices are searchable by ZIP code, and you can compare ratings of different providers in your area.
- Visit hospice facilities or agencies in-person to get a feel about the place.
- Consider Early Enrollment: Engaging hospice services earlier in the illness trajectory can lead to better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients and families.
- The Hospice Foundation of America has an “Ask the Expert” feature on its website where its experts answer questions and provide confidential guidance to patients and caregivers. The organization will also connect people to their local hospice organizations
Conclusion
By understanding the components and process of hospice care, patients and families can make informed choices that enhance the end-of-life experience. Emphasizing early access to hospice services can help ensure that loved ones receive the compassionate care they deserve during this critical time.
HCC is proud to provide Hospice Care for families in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.
Sources:
AARP
Cleveland Clinic
Mayo Clinic
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
