A healing experience doesn’t always mean getting better. Nevada Home Hospice understands part of healing is helping people make the most of the time they have left through managing pain end of life planning and simply by being there.
The patient must have an advanced illness. The patient must have a life expectancy of six months or less. The patient is not receiving curative treatment.
The Medicare Hospice Benefit and most private insurers pay for the services of hospice and care related to the life limiting illness with no out of pocket expense to the patient and family.
The earlier hospice can be involved, the more we can help make the patient’s final days, weeks, and months as comfortable and meaningful as possible, as well as provide support for caregivers and family members. It is estimated that fewer than 20% (one in five) hospice patients is on service long enough to realize the full extent of benefits to themselves and their caregivers.
When you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious life limiting illness, it is frightening and uncomfortable. It is important to express your desires and goals regarding your end of life care. It is never too early to have a conversation about all of your treatment options so that you may get the most out of life and live as fully and comfortably as possible. When the disease is unresponsive to curative treatment and care is directed towards comfort rather than cure, it may be the right time for hospice.
We are a locally, doctor and nurse owned organization that is Medicare Certified and CHAP Accredited. We have a dedicated and specialized team of board-certified physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual counselors, volunteers, and bereavement support specialists. Our mission is to serve patients with high quality care focusing on comfort, dignity, and quality of life to those who are nearing the end of their life’s journey.
At any time during a life-limiting illness, it’s appropriate to discuss all of a patient’s care options, including hospice. By law the decision belongs to the patient. Most hospices accept patients who have an expectancy of six months or less and who are referred by their personal physician.
The patient and family should feel free to discuss hospice care at any time with their physician, other health care professionals, clergy or friends.
No. Many communities have more than one hospice. Medicare requires certified hospices provide a basic level of care but the quantity and quality of all services can vary significantly from one hospice to another. To find the best hospice for your needs, ask your doctor, healthcare professionals, clergy, social workers or friends who have received care for a family member.
Certainly. If the patient’s condition improves and the disease seems to be in remission, patients can be discharged from hospice and return to aggressive therapy or go on about their daily life. If the discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most private insurance will allow additional coverage for this purpose.
One of the first things the hospice program will do is contact the patient’s physician to make sure he or she agrees that hospice care is appropriate for this patient at this time. (Most hospices have medical staff available to help patients who have no physician.) The patient will be asked to sign consent and insurance forms. These are similar to the forms patients sign when they enter a hospital. The form Medicare patients sign also tells how electing the Medicare hospice benefit affects other Medicare coverage.
Your hospice provider will assess your needs, recommend any equipment, and help make arrangements to obtain any necessary equipment. Often the need for equipment is minimal at first and increases as the disease progresses. In general, hospice will assist in any way it can to make home care as convenient, clean and safe as possible.
There’s no set number. One of the first things a hospice team will do is to prepare an individualized care plan that will, among other things, address the amount of caregiving needed by the patient. Hospice staff visit regularly and are always accessible to answer medical questions.
In the early weeks of care, it’s usually not necessary for someone to be with the patient all the time. Later, however, since one of the most common fears of patients is the fear of dying alone, hospice generally recommends someone be there continuously. While family and friends do deliver most of the care, hospices may have volunteers to assist with errands and to provide a break and time away for primary caregivers.
Hospice patients are cared for by a team consisting of a physician, a nurse, social workers, counselors, home health aides, clergy, therapists, and volunteers. Each one provides assistance based on his or her own area of expertise. In addition, hospices provide medications, supplies, equipment, and other services related to the terminal illness.
Hospice staff is on call for emergencies 24 hours a day. Hospice care does not include a nurse in the home 24/7. If you require more care than can be provided in the home, some hospices have their own inpatient facilities. Most communities have nursing homes, inpatient residential centers and hospitals with hospice care options
No. Hospice patients receive care in their personal residences, nursing homes, hospital hospice units and inpatient hospice centers.
Hospice neither hastens nor postpones dying. Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise during the time of childbirth, hospice provides its presence and specialized knowledge during the dying process.
Hospice believes that emotional and spiritual pain is just as real and in need of attention as physical pain, so it can address each. Hospice nurses and doctors are up to date on the latest medications and devices for pain and symptom relief. In addition, physical and occupational therapists can assist patients to be as mobile and self sufficient as they wish, and they are sometimes joined by specialists schooled in music therapy, art therapy, massage and diet counseling. Finally, various counselors, including clergy, are available to assist family members as well as patients.
Very high. Using some combination of medications, counseling and therapies, most patients can attain a level of comfort they consider acceptable.
Usually not. It is the goal of hospice to have the patient as pain free and alert as possible. By constantly consulting with the patient, hospices have been very successful in reaching this goal.
No. While some churches and religious groups have started hospices (sometimes in connection with their hospitals), these hospices serve a broad community and do not require patients to adhere to any particular set of beliefs.
Hospice coverage is widely available. To be sure of coverage, families should, of course, check with their employer or health insurance provider.
The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers the full scope of medical and support services for a life-limiting illness. Hospice care also supports the family and loved ones of the person through a variety of services. This benefit covers almost all aspects of hospice care with little expense to the patient or family.
The first thing hospice will do is assist families in finding out whether the patient is eligible for any coverage they may not be aware of. Barring this, some hospices will provide for anyone who cannot pay using money raised from the community or from memorial or foundation gifts.
Most hospices provide continuing contact and support for caregivers for at least a year following the death of a loved one. Many hospices also sponsor bereavement groups and support for anyone in the community who has experienced a death of a family member, a friend, or similar losses.