Common questions about hospice

Why should I choose Mission Hospice & Home Care?

Mission Hospice & Home Care has provided quality professional care and compassionate support for end-of- life patients and their families in San Mateo County for thirty years. We’re committed to quality care, serving various communities with a culturally and spiritually sensitive and individual approach to hospice care.

Who qualifies for hospice care?

Hospice care is for any person who has a life-threatening or terminal illness that is expected to end one’s life within six months or less. Patients with both cancer and non-cancer illnesses are eligible to receive hospice care. All hospices consider the patient and family together as the unit of care.

Will hospice care hasten my death?

No, hospice care neither hastens death nor prolongs life. Hospice care allows you to remain comfortably in your home until the disease ends your life. When you accept hospice services, your doctor and your caring hospice team provide gentle and loving support as you undergo the physical, emotional, and spiritual changes that a terminal illness brings.

Does a referral to hospice mean that my doctor or I have given up?

A hospice referral means that people really care about making your last days as comfortable and as peaceful as possible when all other treatments are no longer helpful.

Why should I choose Mission Hospice & Home Care instead of having my family care for me at home with my doctor’s assistance?

By accepting Mission Hospice & Home Care’s highly skilled team, you gain additional expertise and support that allows your family to have more quality time with you and the confidence to provide the best care of you.

Mission Hospice & Home Care’s nurses provide pain and symptom management and teach your family about medications and physical changes that occur as you decline. Medical social workers offer emotional support, counseling, and connections with other community resources. Chaplains, who support people of all faith traditions and those with no faith tradition, assist with spiritual and religious concerns, as well as funeral planning and connections to community clergy.

Home health aides assist with personal care and light housekeeping services. Volunteer caregivers provide a variety of services, including companionship and relief care. Dieticians provide counseling and education about nutrition and diet. Physical, occupational, and speech therapists provide care that may allow you to walk safely or speak more clearly. And your doctor is still in charge of your care and works with Mission Hospice & Home Care’s medical director and nurses to ensure that the care you receive is tailored to your needs.

How much will hospice care cost?

It will cost you very little. Eighty percent of people in hospice care are over the age of 65 and use the MediCare Hospice Benefit for hospice services, medical equipment and supplies, and medications related to the terminal illness — with little out-of-pocket expense for the patient or family. Also, private health plans with hospice benefits and MediCal provide for hospice services.

What if I want everything possible done to prolong my life or my loved one’s life? Or, what if my loved one or I get better?

You always have a choice about continuing curative treatment or receiving hospice services for comfort care. And sometimes, because hospice care is so nurturing and caring, people do get better and live longer than at first expected. In either case, you can simply revoke your hospice benefit and seek treatment under your regular insurance. If treatment fails and you again qualify for hospice care, you can return to hospice services.

What if I want my minister involved in my care?

Although our chaplains enjoy working work side-by-side with other ministers as together they comfort and care for you, we respect your right to choose where you obtain your spiritual and religious care.

What if I change my mind about hospice care and no longer want it?

You can revoke hospice services just as you would if you wanted to have curative treatment or your condition improved.

Will you tell my friends and neighbors that I’m receiving hospice care?

No, we will not. Privacy laws and our agency’s confidentiality policies prevent us from sharing anything about your care unless you have authorized this in writing.

What are some questions that one should ask when looking for a hospice program?

Hospice care is a philosophy of care that accepts dying as a natural part of life. When death is inevitable, hospice seeks neither to hasten nor postpone it. Below is a list of questions to consider when looking for a hospice program:

• Is the hospice Medicare-certified and licensed as a hospice?
  
• What services are provided?
  
• What kind of support is available to the family/caregiver?
  
• What roles do the attending physician and hospice play?
  
• What does the hospice volunteer do?
  
• How does hospice work to keep the patient comfortable?
  
• How are services provided after hours?
  
• How and where does hospice provide short-term inpatient care?
  
• Can hospice be brought into a nursing home or long-term care facility?
  
• What bereavement services are available for loved ones?
  

Where does hospice care take place?

Most hospice patients are cared for in the comfort of their own home or in the home of a loved one. Home is also construed to include services provided in residential care facilities for the elderly, hospitals and prisons.

What hospice services are covered by MediCare?

The hospice MediCare services available to you are as follows:

• Regular home visits by registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses.
  
• Home health aides for services such as dressing and bathing.
  
• Social work, counseling and spiritual care
  
• Medical equipment such as hospital beds.
  
• Medical supplies such as bandages and catheters.
  
• Medications for symptom control and pain relief.
  
• Volunteer support to assist patients and loved ones.
  
• Physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and dietary counseling.
  
• Bereavement support services for the patient’s loved ones

What role do volunteers play in hospice care?

Hospice provides trained volunteers to aid the family and patients. Our hospice volunteers are trained to relieve the primary care givers by giving respite care and staying with the patient. Perhaps the most important roles of our volunteers is to provide companionship and simply listen to the patient and his or her loved ones during this emotional time.