Hospice

What Hospice Care Is

Hospice is medical care for patients who are generally expected to die in six months or less. It is care provided where the patient lives so that they can be near family, friends, and in the comfort of a familiar location. 

Hospice care is provided by an interdisicplinary team which addresses the patient's medical, phsyical, spiritual, and psychosocial needs. The focus of the team's attention is the patient, not the medical condition. 

The patient will receive visits from the interdisciplinary team on a scheduled basis, with providers available 24/7 for urgent questions or concerns. 

Hospice will provide support to the family and caregivers as well as the patient. After the patient dies, bereavement care will be offered to the family for a year. 

What Hospice Care Is Not

Hospice care does not try to cure a medical condition or prolong a patient's life.

Usually, hospice does not provide 24 hour care. It supplements the care provided by family members, a nursing home, or residential care.

Hospice focuses on providing comfort at the end of life, and providing support to the patient and their family, it does not seek to make death happen faster.

How Do Patients Qualify for Hospice

For a patient to "qualify" for hospice, both the hospice physician and a second physician - usually the patient's primary care provider, or specialist - certify that the patient meets the medical eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements vary depending on the medical condition. 

General requirements include:

• Adults with terminal illnesses

• Expected to die within 6 months or less if the illness follows its typical course

Common diagnoses which patients have when they quality for hospice are:

• Cancer

• Heart disease

• Dementia

• Parkinson's disease

• Lung disease

• Stroke

• Kidney disease

• Cirrhosis

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

• Etc.

When Is It Time for Hospice

• The patient experiences a significant decline despite treatment.

• The medical team experts the patient to die in six months or less.

• The patient is in the end stage of Alzheimer's disease or dementia. 

• The focus of care shifts from curative efforts to comfort. 

What Does Hospice Include

Hospice care follows Medicare requirements, and provide services as necessary to address the primary medical condition which qualifies the patient for hospice:

• care by the interdisciplinary team, which includes:  physicians, nurses, medical social workers, home health aides, and chaplains/spiritual counselors

• medication for symptoms including pain relief

• medical equipment: hospital bed, wheelchair/walker, oxygen, bandages, catheters, etc.

• Medicare-covered services need to manage pain and symptoms related to terminal illnesses

• volunteer services to support patient and family needs

• short-term inpatient care

• short-term respite care

• grief and loss support for the patient and family

What Hospice Care Does Not Include

Hospice does not include treatment or medication mean to cure a terminal illness or illness unrelated to terminal diagnosis, only to address symptoms. 

• Medications and supplies to treat an illness unrelated to the diagnosis which qualifies a person for hospice

• Room and board in a nursing home, residential hospice facility, or other are facility

• Care in an emergency room, inpatient facility care, or transportation by an ambulance, unless it is ordered and arranged by the hospice team.

Where Does Hospice Happen

Hospice is provided where the patient lives

• at their own home or the home of a loved one

• in a facility: assisted living center, nursing home, or hospital

• in an inpatient facility short-term to manage increasese symptom burden and care needs

Acts Signature Hospice

Acts Signature Hospice offers physical, spiritual, and emotional comfort and care for those residents with terminal illnesses, their families, and caregivers. Acts Signature Hospice is available in all care levels at our eight Pennsylvania communities and our Delaware communities in Wilmington and Hockessin. Our Acts Signature Hospice team provides expert pain and symptom management, all medications and equipment needed for comfort, plus respite and bereavement support for families and caregivers. As needed, our team includes: your personal physician, the hospice medical director, hospice nurses, home health aides, social worker, chaplain, volunteers, and other ancillary disciplines.

Amedisys

Amedisys is a leading provider of in-home healthcare, providing home health care, hospice care, palliative care and high-acuity care to more than 465,000 patients each year across the country. Since 1982, we’ve helped older adults to achieve their goals, empowering families and caregivers with education and support along the way. We know that navigating the ins and outs of healthcare options can be confusing. Our teams are standing by to help you get the right care at whichever stage your loved one finds themselves.

Bayada

Hospice care is about more than managing a diagnosis—it’s about making every moment meaningful, comfortable, and peaceful. BAYADA Hospice's team works closely with patients and families to understand your story, values, and wishes, so that you and your family can spend time in a way that’s most important to you. With a primary focus on pain and symptom management, our team follows a personalized plan of care that also offers personal care services, social work, spiritual counseling, holistic therapies, and more. Specialized programs—including veteran-focused care to meet their unique needs—bring customized, compassionate care and guidance. Remember, when time is limited, comfort can’t wait: By starting hospice early, families can focus on what matters  most—time together—while maximizing comfort, dignity, and connection.

ChristianaCare - AccentCare

ChristianaCare – AccentCare, believes that individuals and families are experts in their own care, which is why we offer a personalized plan of care for each patient and family we serve. Our community-based organization consists of a team of trained hospice and palliative care professionals that are committed to helping our patients and their loved ones live each day to the fullest. We provide care to our patients wherever they call home, whether that is a private residence, nursing home, Assisted Living Facility, or other location. We understand that each patient and family’s journey and needs are different. As a Medicare-certified hospice, we are proud to offer all four levels of hospice care: Routine, Inpatient, Respite, and Continuous Care. We work with our patients and medical team to determine the level of care appropriate for each patient.

Delaware Hospice

If you’re living with a serious illness that’s no longer responding to curative treatment, hospice care can offer comfort, dignity and quality of life – for both you and your loved ones. With hospice, you receive expert medical support, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual care, and help for your family. You can receive care wherever you call home – whether that’s a private residence, a nursing facility, or at our dedicated Delaware Hospice Center.

VITAS Healthcare

VITAS Healthcare has proudly served patients in Delaware since opening our first office here in 2004. Today, we provide tailored hospice and palliative services for patients across the state. Our Delaware patients tell us where they would prefer to receive care, and we meet them at the bedside with Commitment, Compassion, and Can-Do Attitude — the VITAS Difference. In addition to regular visits and consultations with clinical staff, patients and their families in Delaware have access to psychosocial support and help with end-of-life planning through a VITAS social worker, as well as spiritual counseling through a VITAS chaplain. We also offer various complementary therapies and modalities to address a full range of patient and family needs. We’re also proud to serve those who have served our country through our participation in the We Honor Veterans initiative.