Hospice is a form of comfort care (“palliative care”) almost fully paid for by Medicare for people who are thought to have no more than six months to live. Hospice does not end after six months but can be renewed. People can go off hospice, and do when the additional care has built up their health, returning when they need to. Hospice can be anywhere the person is.
Over 80% of us want to die at home but only 36% of us use hospice, which will help us do so. Most people who use hospice, wish they had started earlier.
If you are hiring hospice for a loved one, what should you ask?
12 Questions to Ask When Hiring Hospice for a Loved One
- Do you have an RN and an MD on call 24/7?
- Are we in your geographic area?
- When could services begin?
- Can we schedule an initial consultation?
- What is expected of the family?
- If we need additional help, will you find it for us?
- What is your responsibility?
- What members of the hospice team will visit? How often? For how long?
- What treatments are excluded? What about massage? Music therapy?
- If expensive therapies or devices are required to manage pain or other symptoms, will these be available? Will they be included?
- What out-of-pocket expenses should we expect?
- Morphine only lasts about four hours. What long-lasting pain relief would be administered?
Elder law attorney, Terry Garrett, CELA, is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is an Approved Guardianship Attorney. She assists people in elder law, estate and special needs planning, guardianship and settling estates. She graduated with honors from Cornell University. She was on the Dean’s List at Wharton Business School. She earned her J.D. at Columbia Law School, receiving the Parker Award and a Mellon Fellowship.
