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Articles - Hospice |
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Hospice, a word that most people have heard, is largely misunderstood or unknown to the general public. Although people often think that hospice is a place, it is primarily a philosophy of providing care. The goals of hospice care are twofold: 1) to keep the patient as comfortable as possible so that life can be lived to its fullest extent, and 2) to provide support to the family in caring for their loved one. Hospice also provides bereavement services to the family. The hospice team provides intermittent visits to the home to support the family in providing care. While most hospice care is provided in the patient's home, hospice can also provide care to patients in assisted living and nursing homes. In Northern Virginia there is a small inpatient hospice unit, but stays are usually quite short for reasons such as pain management or respite care. Medicare, Medicaid and many health insurance policies cover costs of hospice care. Hospice care is appropriate when there is a limited life expectancy and the patient is not seeking treatment toward cure. To receive hospice care, a physician's order is required. Hospice has developed guidelines to help determine the dementia patient's appropriateness for hospice care. For questions about hospice, or information on the hospice in your area, please call the Chapter's Helpline at (703) 359-4440 or (866) 259-0042.
Last updated: August 16, 1999
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