Hospice Care
Hospice Care
Supporting patients and families with the end of life transition, by providing an interdisciplinary team approach, through quality care with pain symptom control, emotional and spiritual support.
Contact us to discuss Hospice Care Services for yourself or a loved one.
Hospice Care is a specialized type of care focused on providing comfort, dignity and support to individuals who are facing a life-limiting illness and are no longer seeking curative treatment. The goal of hospice is not to cure the disease, but to improve quality of life for both the patient and their loved ones.
Key Features of Hospice Care:
Eligibility: A patient is generally eligible when a physician certifies that life expectancy is six months or less, if the illness follows its usual course.
Focus: Relief of pain, symptoms, and emotional or spiritual distress.
Team-Based Approach: Includes Nurses, Social Workers, Aides, Chaplains, Volunteers, Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Physicians working together to support the patient and family.
Where It Happens: Care is typically provided wherever the patient calls home; this could be a private residence, nursing home, or assisted living facility.
24/7 Support: Available on-call support around-the-clock for crisis management and guidance.
Family Support: Includes respite care, bereavement services, and education for caregivers.
Hospice Values:
Patient-Centered: Honors patient wishes and goals for the remainder of life.
Holistic: Addresses physical, emotional, spiritual and psychosocial needs.
Respectful: Encourages meaningful moments, closure and connection at the end-of-life.
Why Choose Hospice?
- Maintain comfort and dignity
- Avoid unnecessary hospitalizations
- Focus on meaningful time with loved ones
- Receive expert, compassionate care.
Hospice provides a full care team:
- Nurses & Aides for symptom management and personal care
- Social Workers & Chaplains for emotional and spiritual support
- Staff and Providers for oversight and complex care guidance
- Volunteers for companionship and respite
- Bereavement Services for families for up to 13-months after loss.
Coverage & Cost:
Hospice is fully covered under:
- Medicare Hospice Benefit
- Medicaid
- Most private insurance plans
Includes medications, durable medical equipment (DME), nursing visits and supplies related to the terminal diagnosis.
When Is It Time for Hospice?
Hospice may be the right choice when:
- A life expectancy of six months or less is expected, if the illness follows its usual course.
- Curative treatments are no longer effective or desired.
- There’s a focus on comfort, not cure.
You can begin hospice earlier than many think; starting sooner allows time to receive the full benefits of care.
Hospice Resources:
Click the following links, or on the individual images below for the Agency’s Home Health & Hospice Services Brochure, the Have You Started the Conversation Yet Brochure or the North Country Home Health & Hospice Agency Magazine.
Glenn Adams, DO
