Hospice care is a specialized care that focuses on supporting you and your loved ones during an advanced illness. The emphasis is on comfort and quality of life, rather than finding a cure. Hospice care enables you to live each day to the fullest as comfortably and dignified as possible.
Hospice care not only helps with managing your symptoms, but also helps you and your family with emotional and spiritual support. You do not have to be ready for hospice. In fact, hospice does not expect you to be ready. You must be eligible for the services which can increase the quality of your life.
Many people think that hospice care is for the last few days of life, when in fact patients can receive it much earlier. Receiving hospice care may help you avoid frequent trips to the hospital.
Your team starts with you and your loved one. You take the lead with day-to-day care and we will be there to support you.
Primary care physicians or our medical director doctor manage your loved one's care alongside the hospice team. These doctors work closely with the hospice team to manage your loved one’s symptoms.
Social workers give emotional support and counseling — and can help you complete an advance directive, such as a living will. Your social worker can also connect you with community resources.
Your nurse case manager coordinates your loved one’s care and checks to make sure your loved one's pain and other symptoms are well managed.
Trained caregivers provide personal care such as bathing, light housekeeping etc.
Chaplains give you and your loved one spiritual support. They can also help with funeral arrangements.
Volunteers, Caring volunteers provide respite care and a variety of other services, including being a companion to your loved one and helping with household chores.
Bereavement Counselor, A bereavement counselor can help with grief support, both for individuals and in groups. Our counselors keep in touch with families even after a loved one's death.
Patients must meet certain criteria to be eligible for hospice. Noble hospice will work with you and your physician to determine eligibility.
The truth is: We enrich life in surprising ways. Explore the myths below to learn more about the hospice care provided by Noble Hospice.
Fact: Hospice focuses on comfort care, not cure In order to receive hospice, the patient must be eligible and have an understanding. Patients and families do not have to be "ready to die" before getting the care they need and deserve. Hospice helps patients and families deal with what is happening to them on their own terms and in their own time frame and settings. It is important to get hospice early so that the benefit can help patients prepare and get ready for what is happening; it is not required that patients be ready prior to receiving care.
Fact: Medical and Medicare hospice Benefits cover services related to the terminal prognosis. If patients has private insurance or managed care, we assist in checking their benefit coverage to make sure patients and families understand everything on cost.
Fact: Many patients on hospice have diagnoses other than cancer. Many hospice patients have other kind of diagnoses or advanced stages of chronic diseases such as pulmonary disease, Alzheimer's disease, renal disease, HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular or neuromuscular diseases.
Fact: Hospice is not a place but a philosophy of care. Hospice care can be provided at any place that patient calls it a home, whether that is a personal home, or a skilled nursing facility, any assisted living facility or boarding care home or anywhere else.
Fact: While hospice strives to manage pain and other uncomfortable symptoms outside of the hospital setting, a hospice patient always has the choice of whether or not to go to the hospital. The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers short-term general inpatient care in the hospital when a patient's symptoms can no longer be managed in another care setting.
Fact: A patient can receive hospice without having to sign a DNR. The hospice regulation says that hospices cannot discriminate against patients because of advance directive choices.
Fact: All hospice services are palliative in nature, however, not all palliative care is delivered under the Medicare hospice benefit. Hospice focuses on physical, spiritual and emotional support for the patient and family including family counseling, help with end-of-life decisions and bereavement services.
Fact: If any person or family member wants to help patient you do not need caregiver. While some hospices require caregivers prior to the patient being admitted, we do not. We help coordinate community resources to keep the patient at home as long as possible, and then help the patient find an alternative location to receive care when care at home is no longer possible.
Fact: Patients can choose to meet with us anytime and discuss the benefit of hospice at any time. We cannot provide hands-on care to a patient without a physician's order but we will work with each of patient's physician to identify patient's individual needs.
Hospice is 100 percent covered for eligible patients under Medicare, most state Medicaid plans and many private insurance plans. We will assist you in checking your benefit coverage and make sure you understand any potential out-of-pocket costs.
