Hospice care is covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, and is also covered by Medicaid and
private insurance plans. Patients are considered hospice appropriate when a
physician has certified that a patient is terminally ill with six months or
less to live, if the illness runs the expected course. Patients who choose
hospice agree to forgo any treatments designed to cure the terminal illness.
Hospice care focuses on providing comfort care, by providing
pain relief and managing symptoms. (Medicare continues to pay for covered
benefits for health problems that are not related to the terminal illness.)
Hospice services are not limited to a set amount of time; care continues as
long as the hospice physician recertifies that a patient is terminally ill.
What do hospice services include?
A hospice patient receives regular visits from a nurse who
works closely with the hospice physician to manage symptoms in order to ensure
the patient is comfortable. Hospice services also include social services
support from a licensed social worker, and spiritual counseling is available,
if the patient desires it.
The hospice benefit includes the medications necessary for
pain relief and symptom control, and the medical supplies and equipment needed
for the patient to manage their terminal illness in the comfort of their own home.
Home is defined as wherever the patient resides, whether it’s a private
residence, assisted living facility, adult care home, or a nursing home.
Casa de la Luz Hospice also
offers Arizona’s first residential hospice home, Kanmar Place. The home is
licensed as an assisted living home, but all of the residents at Kanmar are hospice
patients. They receive care and support from the interdisciplinary team as well
as Kanmar’s certified caregivers.
A home health aide is
available to make regular visits and assist with personal care needs such as
bathing and grooming. A hospice volunteer can be provided to offer
companionship to the patient and respite for the caregiver.
When symptoms are too difficult to manage at home, many
hospices have an inpatient unit available to provide acute symptom management.
If the symptoms are stabilized within the inpatient unit, the patient can
return to the comfort of their home. The Casa de la Luz Hospice Inpatient Unit offers nine private patient rooms and is conveniently located adjacent to Northwest Medical Center.
Grief support services are available to the family and loved
ones after the patient’s death. Casa de la Luz Hospice offers a variety of
bereavement services, including one-on-one counseling, grief and loss support
groups, and a public memorial service twice a year to remember the patients who
have died in our care.
If you’d like more information about hospice, please talk to
your physician or contact Casa de la Luz at 520-544-9890 or info@casahospice.com.
by Carrie Bui, Communications Specialist
by Carrie Bui, Communications Specialist
Hospice care is very important for people who are suffering from illness. Hospices is their home. I agree with you that Home is defined as wherever the patient resides, whether it’s a private residence, assisted living facility, adult care home, or a nursing home. And it is very important for these people to get the support they need at home.
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