“Hospice is a program that provides comfort and supportive care for terminally ill patients and their families, either directly or on a consulting basis with the patient’s physician”
The whole family is considered the unit of care, and care extends through their period of mourning. Hospice services can be provided wherever a patient calls home: private residence, assisted living center, skilled nursing facility, etc. Services can include:
- Physician service
- Nursing care
- Home health aide and homemaker services
- Medical social services
- Counseling services
- Short-term inpatient care
- Medical appliances and supplies
- Prescription drugs
- Physical therapy
Services are typically related to managing the patient’s terminal illness, controlling pain, or enabling the individual to maintain activities of daily living and basic functional skills.
