Will I have my own hospice team and how often will they visit?

Every person receiving hospice has access to a registered nurse, social worker, hospice aide, and chaplain (also known as the interdisciplinary team) and volunteers. The hospice team will work with you and your family to create a plan of care that will outline the actions and goals for your hospice care.

All visits are based on you and your family’s needs in the care plan and your medical condition during the course of the illness. The frequency of volunteers and spiritual care is often dependent upon request and the availability of these services. Travel requirements and other factors may cause some variation in how many individuals each hospice staff serves.

Is hospice available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Hospice care is available ‘on call’ after the administrative office has closed, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Hospices are required to have nurses available to respond to a call for help within minutes, if necessary. Some hospice programs have chaplains and social workers on call as well.

What do hospice volunteers do?

Hospice volunteers are generally available to provide different types of support to individuals and their loved ones including running errands, preparing light meals, staying with a person to give loved ones a break, and lending emotional support and companionship to individuals and loved ones.

Because hospice volunteers spend time in homes, each hospice program generally has some type of application and interview process to assure the person is right for this type of volunteer work. In addition, hospice programs have an organized training program for their volunteers. Areas covered by these training programs often include understanding hospice, confidentiality, working with families, listening skills, signs and symptoms of approaching death, loss and grief and bereavement support.

Can I be cared for by hospice if I reside in a nursing facility or other type of long-term care facility?

Hospice services can be provided to a person who has a life-limiting illness wherever that person lives. This means a person living in a nursing facility or long-term care facility can receive specialized visits from hospice nurses, home health aides, chaplains, social workers, and volunteers, in addition to other care and services provided by the nursing facility. The hospice and the nursing home will have a written agreement in place in order for the hospice to serve residents of the facility.  The Medicare Hospice Benefit will cover the care related to your terminal illness, but it does not cover daily room and board charges of the facility.  If you are eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid will cover room and board charges.

Do state and federal reviewers inspect and evaluate hospices?

Yes. There are state licensure requirements that must be met by hospice programs in order for them to deliver care. In addition, hospices must comply with federal regulations in order to be approved to receive reimbursement from Medicare. Hospices must periodically undergo inspection to be sure they are meeting regulatory standards in order to maintain their license to operate and the certification that permits Medicare reimbursement.  PhysioCare Hospice is also a Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAPs) certified hospice which is a rigorous and thorough compliance and operations certification that is revisited by CHAPs hospice expert surveyors every 3 years.