Source: Medicare
Hospice care: Supporting you and your family
There are many difficult decisions that come with a terminal illness, like considering whether hospice is right for you. The thought of hospice can be scary, but it’s important to learn about your options.
Medicare covers hospice care to help terminally ill patients spend the last moments of their lives with dignity and comfort, among loved ones. Hospice focuses on comfort or “palliative care,” not curing an illness.
- Deciding whether hospice care is right for you can be a difficult choice to make, and it’s important to be informed about what hospice covers. Once you choose hospice care, your hospice benefit should cover everything you need.
Here are a few of the services hospice provides:
- Care in your home. A specially-trained team of professionals and caregivers provide care for the “whole person,” including your physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
- Physical care, counseling, drugs, equipment, and supplies for the terminal illness and related conditions.
- Support for family caregivers.
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a good time to learn more about the care and support available to people who are terminally ill.
- For more information, watch a brief video about hospice.
- Visit Medicare.gov/HospiceCompare to find hospices that serve your area and compare them based on the quality of care they provide.
- To find additional resources and support, visit the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA), or the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
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Hospice care: Supporting you and your family