Hospice Facts/Information

Here are some of the most common misconceptions about hospice, along with the facts about this special kind of care.

MYTH: HOSPICE IS A PLACE
FACT: Typically, hospice care is administered within the familiarity of your own home, although it can also be extended to encompass various living environments such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and residential care facilities.

MYTH: HOSPICE IMPLIES IMMINENT PASSING
FACT: Embracing hospice care doesn’t equate to surrendering hope or an imminent end. Opting for hospice earlier offers a chance to stabilize medical conditions and attend to various needs. Remarkably, certain patients experience improvement and might even be discharged from hospice care.

MYTH: FAMILIES HAVE TO PAY FOR HOSPICE CARE
FACT: Hospice care is 100% covered by Medicare/Medi-Cal. Most HMOs and private insurers also cover hospice care.

MYTH: PATIENTS HAVE TO GIVE UP THEIR OWN DOCTOR
FACT: Patients may keep their own physician, who will work closely with the CareWorthy Hospice Medical Director to plan and carry out care.

MYTH: HOSPICE IS ONLY FOR CANCER PATIENTS.
FACT: A number of hospice patients have congestive heart failure, dementia, chronic lung disease, or other incurable conditions.

MYTH: Hospice care is only available for a restricted duration.
FACT: Hospice care is covered by Medicare and many private insurances for as long as the patient meets the required criteria. Patients have the flexibility to transition on and off hospice care based on their needs, with the option to re-enroll as necessary.

MYTH: HOSPICE OFFERS ROUND-THE-CLOCK CARE.
FACT: The hospice team, comprised of nurses, social workers, home health aides, chaplains, and bereavement counselors, provides periodic visits to patients while remaining accessible 24/7 for both care and support.

MYTH: ALL HOSPICE PROGRAMS ARE THE SAME.
FACT: Every licensed hospice program is required to offer specific services, although the variety of support services and programs available can vary. There are non-profit programs that utilize their income to deliver patient care and community services, as opposed to for-profit hospices that answer to their shareholders.

MYTH: HOSPICE IS JUST FOR THE PATIENT.
FACT: Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity, and emotional support. The quality of life for the patient, but also family members and others who are caregivers, is the highest priority.

The hospice benefit is accessible to individuals whose life expectancy is six months or fewer, assuming the terminal illness follows its usual progression. This availability is irrespective of the person’s ability to handle the impacts of their illness. In specific situations, recertification beyond the initial six months can be considered. It’s important to emphasize that determining the duration of someone’s life is not within our authority or capacity.

To initiate hospice care, the patient or their family must make an election. Subsequently, two physicians—typically the primary physician and our medical director—will jointly verify the presence of a terminal illness in the patient. It’s a common misconception among healthcare professionals that a patient must exhibit signs of impending death, such as being critically ill, bedridden, and unable to engage in a full life, to qualify for hospice care. However, this notion does not hold true in many cases. A hospice patient might possess a specific diagnosis, a set of symptoms, or a blend of both.

Below, you’ll find a compilation of signs and symptoms that could serve as indicators of decline and potential eligibility for hospice care:

• Multiple hospitalizations/frequent ER visits
• Progressive weight loss
• Decreasing appetite
• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
• Increased weakness or fatigue
• Decline in cognitive status
• Increasing pain, increasing difficulty in controlling pain
• Increasing dyspnea (shortness of breath)
• Oxygen dependency
• Reoccurring infections
• Ascites (abdominal distention)
• Increased nausea and vomiting that is difficult to control
• The patient has expressed a desire to avoid further hospital visits.
• The patient has communicated a wish to discontinue ongoing treatments, which could include dialysis, chemotherapy, or even declining surgical procedures.

Diagnoses that qualify for hospice:

• Various types of cancer (in stage 4, without ongoing chemotherapy or intensive treatment)
• Advanced stages of acute or chronic renal failure (excluding those currently undergoing dialysis)
• End-stage cardiac disease
• End-stage pulmonary disease
• CVA (stroke)
• ALS
• End-stage dementia (A FAST score of 7A)
• End-stage Parkinson’s disease
• End-stage multiple sclerosis
• End-stage liver disease
• End-stage AIDS
• Other life-limiting conditions

If you think your family member, loved ones, or friends might be eligible but are uncertain, we are always ready to answer your questions and concerns. Please call us at 562-863-1818 to set up an evaluation, an informational visit, or an admission.

The thought of losing a beloved individual is something no one wishes to contemplate. Due to this, numerous families put off conversations about utilizing this service. If you find yourself wondering about the appropriate time to reach out to hospice, it’s highly likely that your cherished family member may already meet the criteria for benefiting from this additional level of specialized care and assistance. Even in instances where your loved one doesn’t currently qualify for hospice care, acquiring knowledge about the optimal timing for hospice contact prior to facing a crisis will provide you with the opportunity to comprehend the diverse choices at hand and identify the most suitable approach for your family’s needs.

Should I contact hospice?

​A common tendency among families is to delay reaching out to hospice services until the last few days or weeks of their loved one’s life. What they may not realize is that they could have accessed specialized nursing care, medications, medical equipment, and supplies specific to their loved one’s condition, all without incurring any expenses. Opting for hospice care offers significant benefits, enhancing the patient’s overall quality of life through effective pain management and symptom control. Equally important, it provides an essential pillar of support for the family or caregivers, offering a dependable source of guidance, comfort, and assistance during this challenging period.

Please call us if your loved one is experiencing any of the symptoms below:

• Frequent visits to the ER or hospital admissions
• A decline in their ability to perform daily tasks, including eating, getting dressed, walking, or using the bathroom
• An increase in falls/injuries
• Changes to their mental abilities
• Progressive weight loss
• Skin tears, infections, and other signs of deteriorating health conditions.

When to call hospice?

If you observe these indicators and find yourself pondering the appropriate moment to reach out to hospice, that moment might be upon you. To avail of hospice services, a medical professional must diagnose your loved one with a qualifying condition, and if the illness follows its typical course, their life expectancy should be less than six months. Should your loved one surpass this initial six-month prognosis, they can still receive hospice care, provided a physician reconfirms their eligibility.

Should your loved one’s health show improvement while under hospice care, or if they opt for curative treatments instead of comfort care, they retain the option to discontinue hospice care and explore alternative choices. In the event that their health declines again, your loved one has the option to resume hospice care at a later point.

Hospice represents a generous Medicare privilege that you have rightfully earned.

Hospice care is supported by various sources, including Medicare Part A, Veterans Affairs benefits, Medi-Cal, HMO/PPO plans, and a majority of private insurance companies. These provisions ensure that patients can experience a peaceful and dignified transition at the end of their lives, all while easing the financial concerns that might arise.

Hospice benefits fully encompass all services pertaining to the terminal illness for Medicare patients. Co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses are entirely eliminated, extending coverage to those with a Medicare Advantage plan or Medigap. Once hospice care is chosen, all aspects of terminal illness care adhere to Original Medicare’s cost and coverage guidelines.

Patients then have the option to keep their Advantage plan or use original Medicare (Part A and Part B) to cover other health care services.

Medicare typically covers 100 percent of expenses if these requirements are met.

• Your doctor and a medical director from a hospice program certify the patient to be eligible for the program
• The patient completes a declaration opting for hospice care in lieu of pursuing curative treatments for their terminal illness. It’s important to note that the option to transition back to curative treatment from hospice remains available at any point.
• The patient receives care from a Medicare-approved hospice program.
  Visit the hospice information page on Medicare.gov. Medicare has a mobile app called, What’s Covered, to help you understand Medicare coverage and payments for hospice. Find the What’s Covered app in Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Admission to CareWorthy Hospice is simple, and we strive to make it a smooth process for all involved:

1. A Representative provides a free, no-obligation, in-home care visit to the patient and/or family. Then together, the patient’s needs, goals, and concerns are discussed. Hospice eligibility is also explained if the patient meets the criteria for admission. If there is already a doctor’s order for evaluation, a nurse would do the care visit, and consent forms are signed by the patient or POA. The forms will explain the services available to the patient and family.
2. CareWorthy Hospice is also able to obtain an admission order from our medical director if the patient meets the guidelines of the program.
3. A Registered Nurse then will make an appointment to conduct a head-to-toe assessment for the patient and establish a plan of care.

Our Hospice team will visit the patient periodically to monitor changes in their condition. Our hospice physician will supervise the care and make adjustments as needed in terms of medications and changes in condition. Nurses, Home Health Aides, Social Workers, and Spiritual Counselors will closely monitor the physical and emotional well-being of our patients and will provide support to families and loved ones. The frequency of hospice care visits depends largely on the patient’s medical condition and needs. In the event of a health crisis or distress, or if a patient becomes imminent, hospice provides continuous care (at least 8 hours up to 24 hours or more) to help manage the symptoms.