Few things are scarier than asking your doctor about hospice care for the first time. As much as you want a peaceful, comfortable passing for you or your loved one, you don’t want to admit it may be time to stop treatment. However, delaying conversations about hospice often results in more harm than good. Instead of shying away from talking about hospice, use this information from ChandaCare to learn the benefits of hospice care and how it can help you.

When is the right time for hospice?

Hospice is for people with a life expectancy of six months or less. Some hospice patients live longer than that. However, when a person is in hospice, it means recovery isn’t expected.

Patients and their families worry about entering hospice too soon, but most people actually wait too long to accept hospice care. Without the comfort care that hospice provides, patients may experience more pain and suffering in the final stages of their illness.

Does health insurance cover hospice care?

Most hospice patients are covered by Medicare, which covers a wide range of services related to hospice. These services include nursing care, home health aide services, counseling, and bereavement services. Health insurance covers the medical side of hospice care, but it doesn’t cover the cost of room and board if a person receives hospice at a nursing home or inpatient hospice facility.

Families should also expect to pay out-of-pocket for extra services to keep their loved ones comfortable, including holistic therapies like music therapy, pet therapy, and bodywork. While some Medicare Advantage plans cover health education services and healthy food options, in general, holistic therapies aren’t covered by health insurance.

Should your loved one need mental health services, Medicare does cover those services and will pay 80 percent toward counseling services and visits with a psychologist.

Who provides hospice care? How can I know they’re providing the best care?

Hospice care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers. Hospice providers may work in a hospital, nursing home, or inpatient hospice facility, or they may come to your home to provide hospice care.

You can rest assured knowing that the people providing hospice care are trained to put the patient and family first. These are some of the professionals you’ll interact with as part of a hospice care team:

• Hospice doctor: You may not see your hospice doctor often, but this M.D. oversees the other medical professionals on the hospice care team and directs the hospice care plan.
• Hospice nurse: Hospice nurses are RNs and LPNs, and they provide most of the hands-on medical care a hospice patient needs.
• Hospice social worker: The hospice social worker is a key source of bereavement support and guidance on end-of-life matters.
• Hospice chaplain: The hospice chaplain provides non-denominational spiritual support to hospice patients and their families. Chaplains may pray with a family or provide spiritual guidance regarding end-of-life decisions.

What services are included in hospice care?

Hospice services focus on increasing comfort and quality of life. While under hospice care, a patient may receive services including:

• Pain and symptom management
• Spiritual and emotional care
• End-of-life planning
• Resource coordination
• Household help
• Respite care
• Bereavement support

How do I get started with hospice care and making final arrangements?

When discussing hospice care, ask your loved one if they have made any decisions regarding final arrangements. Doing so can ease some of the burdens on both the emotional and financial sides of hospice care. Having life insurance is similarly beneficial since it will cover the costs of your loved one's funeral. Ask your loved one about their life insurance policy, and if they're unsure whether they have one, you can look through paperwork your loved one has in their home, including mail and bank statements, or contact your state's Insurance Commissioner's office.

While the transition to hospice is an emotionally difficult one, you’ll be glad for the support of hospice for end-of-life care. Hospice care ensures that the patient's quality of life is maximized and that the patient is comforted and supported by a well-rounded team of family, professionals, and volunteers.