What is Hospice Care?
Hospice care is specialized, compassionate care for individuals with a life-limiting illness, focused on comfort and quality of life while also providing support for their families. Through an interdisciplinary approach, hospice care addresses each patient’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs while providing families and caregivers with guidance, education and support throughout the hospice journey. Hospice care is provided through four levels of care based on a patient’s individual needs: routine home care, continuous home care, general inpatient care and respite care. Across these levels, patients and families are supported by an interdisciplinary hospice team that may include physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, spiritual care counselors, bereavement professionals, volunteers and other healthcare professionals based on individual needs.
Routine Home Care
The most common level of hospice care, routine home care is provided in the setting where a patient resides. This may include a private residence, personal care or assisted living community, skilled nursing facility or other residential setting. The hospice team makes scheduled visits based on the patient’s individualized plan of care, providing services such as nursing care, symptom management, personal care assistance, spiritual care and support for the patient and family.
Continuous Home Care
Continuous home care provides short-term, more intensive support in the patient’s residence during periods of crisis when symptoms require additional nursing care. This level of care may be appropriate when a patient experiences an acute change in symptoms that requires more frequent clinical attention to help restore comfort and manage care safely in the home setting.
General Inpatient Care
General inpatient care provides short-term, around-the-clock hospice care when pain or other symptoms cannot be effectively managed in the patient’s current residence. Care is provided in an appropriate inpatient setting with the goal of managing symptoms and helping the patient become comfortable enough to return to their residence when appropriate.
Respite Care
Respite care provides short-term inpatient hospice care when a family caregiver needs temporary relief from caregiving responsibilities. For example, respite care may provide support when a caregiver needs time to rest, attend to their own health needs or manage other personal responsibilities, while ensuring their loved one continues to receive appropriate hospice care and support.
As a patient’s needs change, the hospice team works closely with patients and families to determine the appropriate level of care and provide compassionate support along the way.
What Does Hospice Care Actually Include?
Interdisciplinary Care Plan
At Concordia, hospice care is built around what each patient needs. An interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals works closely with the patient and family to develop an individualized care plan based on the patient’s needs and wishes. The physician helps determine the plan of care, while nurses and hospice aides will monitor the patient’s condition, administer medication, assist with personal care needs and help manage pain and other symptoms.
Hospice patients and families also have access to nursing support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with care and services coordinated by the interdisciplinary hospice team based on each patient’s individual needs.
Spiritual Care Services
Spiritual care is an important part of Concordia’s interdisciplinary approach to hospice care, providing compassionate support for the spiritual and emotional needs of patients and families. Spiritual care counselors respect each individual’s beliefs, values and faith background, offering support that is personalized to what is meaningful to them.
Patients and families may seek spiritual care for many reasons, including finding comfort while living with a life-limiting illness or receiving support as they navigate hopes, uncertainties or fears. Based on individual needs and wishes, spiritual care counselors work alongside the hospice team to provide support as part of the patient’s overall plan of care.
Medical Equipment
Many hospice patients receive care in their homes, and medical equipment may be provided to help support their comfort, safety and care needs. Depending on the patient’s individualized plan of care, equipment may include a hospital bed, wheelchair, oxygen or respiratory equipment, lift, walker or other necessary medical equipment and supplies.
For eligible patients, medical equipment and supplies related to the terminal illness and included in the hospice plan of care are covered as part of the Medicare Hospice Benefit at no cost to the patient or family. The hospice team coordinates the equipment needed based on each patient’s individual needs.
Social Services
A serious health situation rarely affects just the patient. Concordia’s social workers help families navigate resources, next steps and the emotional challenges that often accompany a life-limiting illness.
Patient and Family Education
The care team takes time to guide and support family members and caregivers, offering education, reassurance and compassionate support throughout hospice care.
Bereavement Services
Grief does not end when hospice care concludes. Concordia provides compassionate bereavement support to families as they navigate life after the loss of a loved one, offering guidance, resources and meaningful connection in the months that follow. Bereavement services may include:
- Memory quilts and other personalized remembrance opportunities
- Phone calls and ongoing support from the bereavement team
- Grief and loss resources and educational materials
- Individual support visits
- Grief support groups
- Memorial and remembrance services
Who pays for hospice care?
For many patients and families, hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.
Medicare’s hospice benefit, for example, generally covers services related to a terminal illness, including care from the hospice team, medications for symptom management, and necessary medical equipment and supplies.
Coverage may vary depending on eligibility, insurance plan and individual circumstances. At Concordia, our team can help patients and families understand their hospice benefits, answer questions and provide guidance throughout the process.
Concordia Hospice Agencies
Good Samaritan Hospice, a mission of Concordia Lutheran Ministries
116 Browns Hill Road, Suite 100
Valencia, PA 16059
724-933-8888
