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Hospice
History
With
time and the advance of medicine, death was transplanted to a new and
often strange and intimidating environment: the modern hospital, where
family members were merely guests and control rested with unknown health
professionals.
In
the mid-1960's, a British physician named Dame Cicely Saunders who had
been exploring ways to improve the dying process and bring awareness
to the importance of patients as individuals founded St. Christopher's
Hospice in London, England, considered today as the first modern hospice.
In the United States, while acknowledging the many benefits of modern
medicine, a group of clergy, healthcare workers and other thoughtful
people began wondering in the 1970's whether these advances, by depriving
the natural dying process of its family ties, hadn't also robbed it
of its dignity. Out of these concerns, hospice care was born in the
United States and the natural process of dying was returned to the home.
The first hospice in America was opened in 1974.
Hospice has experienced extraordinary growth since then with more than
3,000 hospices now serving people in every state.
Bringing death out into the open and making sickness and loss of a loved
one a time of sharing and remembrance is difficult. And while the hospice
experience may not be for everyone, those who choose hospice find the
unique caring for a loved one and the richness of sharing memories of
youth, trials and joys a rewarding experience never to be forgotten.
What is the Hospice Medicare Benefit?
The
Medicare Hospice Benefit is primarily a home care program (under certain
circumstances covers hospice inpatient/acute care, hospital, and respite
care).
 Home
is wherever the patient resides. A patient may receive hospice care
while in an acute care facility if the hospitalization is for a condition
not related to the terminal illness.
Hospice care is available as a benefit under Medicare Part A. It is
for patients with a limited life expectancy and is the single source
of all health care related to the terminal illness.
Under the Hospice Medicare Benefit, beneficiaries elect to receive non-curative
treatment and services for their terminal illness by waiving the standard
Hospice Medicare Benefits for treatment of a terminal illness. However,
the beneficiary may continue to access standard Hospice Medicare Benefits
for treatment of conditions unrelated to the terminal illness.
For more information about Medicare health plans or to receive a Medicare
handbook, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
What
is covered?
- Hospice
physician services
- Skilled
nursing visits - average of 2-3 visits per week & 24 hour services
- Home
Health Aide / homemaker - average of 2-3 visits per week
- Trained
volunteers
- Drugs,
equipment & medical supplies (must be related to terminal illness)
- Respite
care
- Social
work
- Chaplain
- Bereavement
counseling
- Therapist
as needed
Qualification
for hospice
Who
is eligible for coverage under the Hospice Benefit?
- Person
who is eligible for Part A under Medicare (age or disability). This
includes persons who
have used up most recent Part A in a facility.
- Person
who is eligible for Part A under Medicare (age or disability). This
includes persons who
have used up most recent Part A in a facility.
- Person
who is eligible for Medi-Cal benefits.
- Person
who qualifies for Private insurance benefits.
- Diagnosed
with a terminal illness (prognosis of one year or less).
- Diagnosis
is certified by the patient's primary physician.
- Diagnosis
is certified by the hospice medical director.
-
Patient or significant other elect hospice care & seek palliative
(pain control) rather than curative
care.
 No
one is denied services due to age, gender, sexual preference, race,
religion or ability to pay.
We at Avalon Hospice & Palliative Care are committed to providing
comfort, dignity and hope through a professional staff, who are sensitive,
understanding and filled with compassion. We are trained to apply state
of the art pain management skills to control and manage symptoms, one
patient at a time, regardless of their race, color, gender, or nationality.
All of our services are based on the needs of care. We believe and treat
each patient as one of our own family member. We will support and serve
the families of each patient helping them understand how to cope with
their pain and grief.
15
things you should know about hospice
- Medicare
and most private insurance companies have hospice coverage No one
is denied service for inability to pay.
- Hospice
serves patients with all terminal illnesses.
- Patients
can receive hospice care for longer that six months if their disease
is still progressing.
- Hospice
pays for all comfort medication related to the patient's terminal
illness.
- Hospice
provides a Professional Nurse for symptom management and a Certified
Nursing Assistant to help with personal hygiene. Hospice also has
a Homemaker for light housekeeping.
- Hospice
provides spiritual and emotional support for the patient and family
through professional team members, and bereavement support following
the death of the patient.
- Hospice
provides medical equipment for comfort and safety.
- Hospice
patients/care givers may call hospice for advice or help 24-hours
a day, seven days a
 week.
-
Patients continue to visit their physicians while on hospice service.
Their primary care physician automatically becomes a hospice team
member.
- To
receive hospice care a local physician is required. Hospice can help
you locate a physician if needed.
- You
can call hospice and request help for yourself or a loved one. Hospice
can contact your physician for a referral.
-
Hospice coaches the family on how to care for the patient.
- Hospice
provides bereavement care and counseling to surviving family and friends
- Hospice
makes short-term inpatient care available when pain or symptoms become
too difficult to manage at home or the caregiver needs respite time
- Hospice
delivers special services like speech and physical therapy when needed.
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