Hospice services are available to people of all ages with a limited life expectancy, generally six months or less. It's not necessary to be acutely ill to receive hospice care. Unlike Medicare home health services, patients do not need to be homebound and don’t necessarily need a live-in caregiver.
A few examples of when you may want to consider Hospice of the North Shore (HNS):
- When active treatment isn't progressing.
- When family caregivers need support.
- When a nursing home resident becomes more dependent in the activities of daily living such as dressing, feeding and bathing and/or experiences continual weight loss.
- When pain, breathlessness, nausea or other symptoms are present.
Early involvement builds support. In fact, early involvement by the HNS team is highly beneficial to the patient and family, providing much-needed support and managing physical symptoms. As the disease or illness progresses, so will the intensity of care and involvement of the hospice team.
Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, any medications and medical equipment such as a hospital bed are covered, reducing the financial burden on families and loved ones.
Hospice care is available to individuals with any life-limiting illness, including:
- Heart and lung diseases
- Neurological diseases
- Cancer
- AIDS
- Liver disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Alzheimer's disease
- Dementia
Though many people assume hospice care is solely for people with cancer, the reality is that just 40% of HNS patients have a cancer diagnosis.