Hospice Pallative Care

Considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury, hospice and palliative care involve a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the person’s needs and wishes. Support is provided to the person's loved ones as well. The focus of hospice relies on the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our loved ones will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so.

• Hospice focuses on caring, not curing and, in most cases; care is provided in the person’s home.

• Hospice care also is provided in freestanding hospice centers, hospitals, and nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

• Hospice services are available to patients of any age, religion, race, or illness.

• Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations.

How Can Palliative Care Help?

You may have heard of a new medical term – palliative care (pronounced PAH-LEE-UH-TIVE). For the last thirty years, palliative care has been provided by hospice programs for dying Americans. Currently these programs serve more than 1.2 million patients and their families each year. Now this very same approach to care is being used by other healthcare providers, including teams in hospitals, nursing facilities and home health agencies in combination with other medical treatments to help people who are seriously ill.

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