Questions families actually ask.
These are the nine that come up on almost every first phone call.
These are the nine that come up on almost every first phone call.
No. It means changing what the care is for: comfort, clear-headed time, and being at home instead of in an emergency room. And it is not permanent. You can stop hospice at any time, for any reason, and go back to treatment aimed at a cure.
No. Hospice does not require a do-not-resuscitate order, and nobody here will pressure you toward one. Your medical decisions remain yours, and you can change your mind about hospice itself at any time.
For most families, nothing out of pocket. Medicare Part A covers hospice care, including the medications, equipment, and supplies related to the illness, and for most families there is no cost at all. Small copays can apply for some medications and respite stays. Medicaid and most private plans cover hospice too, though private coverage varies. We verify your specific coverage before care begins and tell you exactly what is covered.
Two things, mainly: room and board if you live in an assisted living or nursing facility, and treatments intended to cure the illness hospice was elected for. We will walk through your specific situation honestly before anything starts, so there are no surprises on a bill.
Yes. Your physician can stay the attending and work alongside our medical director. Many people find this is what makes the decision easier, because nobody is being handed off to strangers.
Care continues, as long as the criteria are still met. Six months is an estimate, not a deadline, and it is often wrong in the direction people hope for. Most families tell us afterwards that they wish they had called sooner.
No. Care comes to wherever home is: a house, an apartment, an assisted living community, or a nursing facility. Short inpatient stays happen only when symptoms cannot be managed where you are.
No. Hospice cares for people with advanced heart disease, lung disease, kidney and liver failure, dementia, stroke, ALS, and more. Nationally, most hospice patients do not have cancer.
Yes. Pediatric palliative care supports a seriously ill child and the whole family, and, unlike adult hospice, it runs alongside treatment aimed at a cure rather than replacing it. Pediatric palliative care
One call reaches a nurse, any hour of the day or night.
A nurse answers any hour, day or night. Online requests are coming soon — for anything about care, calling is fastest.