What is Hospice?
Hospice care is intended to enhance quality of life for people who are facing the last months of their lives. It seeks to offer comfort and support so that individuals diagnosed with a serious illness can achieve peace of mind in the ways that matter most to them. When at all possible, care is provided at the person’s home or wherever he or she is most comfortable.
Immediately, patients are connected to a team of specialists who strive to uplift them in body, mind, and spirit. The team also embraces the family in their efforts, knowing that the prospect of death affects more than just the person who is ill. The team can include a physician, nurse, nursing assistant, social worker, chaplain, counselor, and volunteer, among others.
Hospice Care Guidelines
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a joint government agency that oversees the Medicare Hospice Benefit (MHB), which is a set of guidelines that outlines how hospice care is provided. For example, a patient is deemed eligible for hospice care if he or she has an advanced illness, is expected to live less than six months if the illness runs it’s normal course, and wants to focus on quality of life rather than curative treatments.
The Medicare Hospice Benefit typically covers all aspects of care related to the hospice diagnosis, including counseling, medications, equipment, supplies, and certain therapies.
A hospice physician directs the patient’s care and can work with his or her personal physician if the patient chooses. The doctors, along with the entire hospice team, create a plan of care specially tailored to the patient and the particulars of his or her disease progression. This plan is designed to offer optimal quality of life.
Should a patient outlive the initial six-month period of eligibility, the Medicare Hospice Benefit allows for additional benefit periods. As part of a re-evaluation, the hospice physician must indicate that the patient continues to have a life expectancy of less than six months.
On occasion, some patients improve to the point that they are expected to live longer. Should that happen, the patient may be discharged from hospice care. Similarly, if his or her condition worsens again, the patient may re-enroll in the program. Also, a patient may remove himself or herself from hospice care at any time if he or she wants to seek curative treatments or opt for different care providers.
The Choice is Yours
As with most types of health care, patients have the freedom to choose their hospice provider. Just because a hospice operates in your county of residence doesn’t mean that you are required to use it. You should choose the provider that offers the best care for your diagnosis and makes you feel most comfortable.
Locations
Location is a consideration, but there are many other criteria to evaluate, including special programs, veteran care, weekend admissions, national accreditation, and overall reputation. Carolina Caring offers hospice care throughout western North Carolina:
How is Hospice Care Paid For?
Carolina Caring meets with each patient to explain the benefits of hospice care as it applies to their specific situation. We accept Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance for payment, as circumstances dictate. Plus, our charitable Foundation helps us ensure that no one is ever turned away for hospice care because of financial concerns. We know how valuable a service it is to families, and we are happy to work with you.
What Role Does Palliative Care Play?
Hospice, also called palliative care, is not the only type of care that offers physical relief to patients. For individuals who have been diagnosed with chronic diseases or ones that may be curable, we can direct them to Carolina Caring Palliative Medicine. Palliative medicine is an approach that delivers comfort through pain management and control of disease-specific symptoms, but does not involve end-of-life care. Learn more about the differences between palliative care and palliative medicine.
Always Available
Carolina Caring makes sure that each patient has access to care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During the day, a triage team handles phone calls for questions about care. After-hours, at night, and on weekends, our on-call team is available to address concerns. Never hesitate to call Carolina Caring because of the late hour.
Care for All
Carolina Caring cares for people no matter their circumstances, background, or other conditions. Our staff most frequently see seniors, but we care for people of all ages, including children in our Cardinal Kids program. We have had special training to accommodate pediatric patients, and we also have vast experience with veterans, along with patients dealing with complex or rare diseases. Wherever there is a need, we are here with compassion and professionalism.
Planning Ahead
We believe it is important to talk with patients and families about their health care wishes. In the context of a serious illness, we advise them to document their preferred medical treatments so that physicians, patients, loved ones, and their care team have a common understanding. Carolina Caring offers a free Care Directives Toolkit that helps people address advance care planning, including considerations about CPR, artificial resuscitation, and more. Our staff are happy to help you understand the various topics and assist you with completing a Living Will and Healthcare Power of Attorney forms.
The Myths of Hospice
During our many years of hospice care, we have seen and heard an array of misconceptions about what we do. Here are just a handful of the myths that we frequently hear, as well as the facts that many people find surprising.